Plans lodged by Sunderland pharmacy to convert rooms of HMO into 'additional dispensary and storage space'

Earlier this week, Sunderland City Council validated proposals for Avenue Pharmacy at Lower Dundas Street, in the St Peter’s ward.

This included changing the use of the upper floors from a six-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) to pharmacy facilities.

According to planning documents, the HMO has been unoccupied since September 2018 when the last student tenancy ended.

A Design and Access statement adds the pharmacy changes are needed to help provide extra capacity for medicines.

It reads: “Avenue Pharmacy is in need of additional dispensary and storage space as its business has moved more and more towards dispensing in large weekly tablet trays rather than individual packets of medicines.

“The trays require additional storage over and above the medicines themselves [and] require additional space to fill them with the prescribed medicines.”

The proposal would allow access to the upper floors of the building directly from the ground floor pharmacy.

If approved, the first floor would contain ‘small’ and ‘large’ upper dispensaries and storage, while the second floor would be used for storage only.

Comments on the plans can be made by writing to the council or commenting on its online planning portal.

For more information, visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/online-applications and search planning reference: 20/01777/FUL

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