Fresh plans for a former Pizza Express in an Oxfordshire town have been permitted after an "unacceptable delay".

Developer Longmill Rickbost applied for planning permission to convert premises at 39-40A High Street and No 1 Horse Fair in Banbury High Street to provide three retail units as well as a large HMO with 23 rooms.

This includes the former Pizza Express which subsequently moved next to The Light, opposite the Castle Quay.  

The applicant had already been granted permission in 2021 but the proposals were resubmitted after conditions attached to it were not discharged in time.

It was permitted using delegated powers on October 4. 

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3D visualisations. (Image: Cherwell District Council.) In the officers' report, it said: “It is considered that proposals have not altered since the previous approval, and there have been no material changes.

"The proposals would not be to detriment of highway safety or residential amenity and would result in an appropriate mixed used development within the sustainable town centre location.

"Having regard to its architectural detailing and subject to conditions regarding materials and construction, the proposal would not significantly adversely affect the character or appearance of the area and would preserve the significance of listed buildings. 

“Some harm would be caused to the character and appearance of the conservation area, but this harm would be minor and not reach a level requiring it to be weighed against the proposals’ benefits.”

The applicant's planning statement said: "These resubmissions have become necessary due to the failure of Cherwell District Council to discharge essential conditions prior to the applications expiring.

"Clearly without these conditions being discharged it was not possible to commence development works with the uncertainty of whether and when these conditions would be discharged.

"This unacceptable delay by Cherwell District Council in terms of discharging conditions has resulted in my client being unable to commence development and now having to resubmit these applications causing even more delay and considerable further costs.

"We trust that the council will now be able to allow our client to be exempt from having to pay the planning application fee or for this at least to be at a significant reduced amount."

There is a small loss of ground floor retail spaces to numbers 40 and 40A High Street as part of the proposal but no loss overall of business space or residential units.

Number 39 High Street, previously called the Lloyd and Stevens building, is a Grade-II listed building and the whole of the site is also within the Banbury Conservation Area.

The large HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) would comprise 11 single and 12 double ensuite rooms with four double kitchen or dining areas and two outdoor amenity areas.