PLANS have been submitted to refurbish the empty former Body Shop shop at 38 Stonegate.

The building’s freeholder, Trailfinders, say they want to refurbish the existing shopfront. The stallriser, pilasters, fascia panel and glazing frame would all be repaired and painted black.

A magazine hopper would be inserted into one of the glazing panels in the shopfront and the windows would be checked for decay, repaired where necessary, and repainted.

The inside of the shop would also be refurbished and fitted out for retail, with staff areas and a new air conditioning system.

Trailfinders have also applied for permission to put up new signs - four internally-illuminated fascia signs and one non-illuminated projecting sign.

The Guildhall planning panel, while neither supporting nor objecting to the plans, says it is concerned that the magazine hopper will be ‘unattractive and will attract anti-social behaviour’ - and that the noise levels from the air conditioner would exceed council regulations.

Other planning applications submitted to the council include:

  • Application to be able to use a domestic garage at 12 Windmill Way, Haxby, as a hairdressing salon. The applicants say that, if approved, the garage would offer small scale beauty/ hairdressing treatments to one person at a time and that externally, the appearance of the garage would not change.
  • Change of use of Krusties, at 2 Patrick Pool, from a shop/cafe to a hotel, with replacement of the front bow window and a new glazed roof over the rear courtyard. The Guildhall planning panel has objected on the grounds it would be an ‘excessive overdevelopment for the size of the building’.