Sunderland pharmacy wins permission to expand

In recent months, plans were lodged 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 the last student tenancy ended in 2018.

Pharmacy bosses said the changes are needed to provide extra capacity for medicines.

The new facility would offer two dispensaries and a storage area to serve the pharmacy on the ground floor.

Following consultation, Sunderland City Council approved the application on Wednesday, November 25.

Council planners said the development was acceptable in terms of the principle of use, the impact on neighbours and highways.

A council report goes on to say: “The site is located within a commercial centre where a degree of activity is to be expected.

“It is considered that the pharmacy would operate in much the same manner as it presently does and given the loss of residential occupiers the comings and goings from [the] site would be reduced.”

A design and access statement submitted with the application also sets out how the upper floor space would be used.

“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,” it reads.

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

Under planning conditions, the development must be brought forward within the next three years.

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