'Fifty Shades' tanning and beauty salon to open in former DIY store in Washington

Sunderland City Council has received a planning application to convert an unused business space in Spout Lane in the Concord area of Washington.

According to planning documents, the unit was previously used by a DIY supplies business and is currently sitting vacant.

New proposals from the Fifty Shades Ltd company aim to bring the site back to life as a beauty salon, creating six new jobs in the process.

The applicant lodged the change-of-use bid as part of plans to vacate their current premises at Waterloo Road in Washington, allowing the business to expand.

A planning statement prepared for the applicant and submitted to Sunderland City Council planners also makes a case for the move – noting the benefits of increased footfall and bringing a vacant unit back into use.

It reads: “The vacant site on Spout Lane is ideally situated for the business and also gives scope to expand the current business to increase employment.

“Currently the salon employs three part-time staff. It is envisaged that [the] move would allow this to increase to four part-time staff with the addition of two full-time staff.

“Situated close to other businesses within similar market demographics, it is envisaged that the proposed use would increase footfall for other similar businesses as well as offering possible new clientele for the salon and increasing footfall to the general area.”

The statement adds: “Failure to find a new location for this well used business would risk the future of the business and risk the loss of jobs and potential for future employment growth.”

A decision on the plans is expected by early October 2020 following a period of consultation.

Comments can be made up until Wednesday, September 2 by writing to the council’s planning department or visiting its online ‘planning portal.’

For more information, visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/online-applications and search planning reference: 20/01331/FUL

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.sunderlandecho.com/subscriptions to sign up.

You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here: https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/

Thank you.