The black-and-white building on the corner of Sandfield Road, originally built in 1891 as a telephone exchange and shops, was sold at auction in December 2016. The new owners, Karl Winter and Phil Melia, have recently given members of the Gateacre Society's committee a tour of the building, and explained to us their plans for the future. They have submitted an application for planning permission (ref.17F/1386) and listed building consent (17L/1387) to convert the upper floors - plus the rear part of the ground floor - into 5 flats, with 5 car parking spaces laid out in the yard at the rear. The front part of the ground floor will remain in business use, and no significant changes are planned to the outside appearance of the building.

We have expressed concern about the car parking situation, and have suggested that just 3 or 4 flats would be more appropriate. We have also asked for more detailed information on the proposal to be made available, so that local residents are in a better position to comment. Meanwhile we hope to assist the owners in finding a solution to the longstanding problem of damage to the building from passing lorries, whose drivers regularly misjudge the extent of the overhang as they turn into Sandfield Road.