New flats planned above shops in centre of Crawley

The two floors above Nos 22-32 The Boulevard are residential apartments created via the benefit of permitted development.

The existing ground floor retail uses would be unaffected by a new application to build six new flats in a new storey.

The application also seeks to reconfigure three existing apartments on the second floor to create vertical circulation to proposed new floor.

Plans have been submitted to Crawley Borough Council for the six flats, which would be two studios, two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units.

According to the application: “The existing building on the site has limited architectural merit and faces in its front elevation across a large area of highway including a surface car park interspersed with some trees. The rear of the site faces the service yard which serves the town centres uses on this side of the Boulevard.

“Built form in the general vicinity of the site is varied and this building “addresses” in many ways unsuccessfully the large open “highway space” across The Boulevard. The additional height proposed would assist in this key design objective for new development.

“The proposed roof extension in terms of massing and height will appear appropriate in the street scene.”

To comment visit www.crawley.gov.uk/planning using code CR/2019/0112/FUL.