Select floors of a former department store in Southport could be turned into apartments under major new plans.
Liverpool-based developers JSM Company Group want to transform the top three floors of the iconic BHS store on Chapel Street in Southport town centre into 30 two-bedroom flats.
A separate planning application would see the ground floor turned into “retail units and drinking/eating establishments”.
The Chapel Street store traded for almost 25 years, before closing in July 2016, after BHS fell into administration in April 2014.
The demise of the clothing, furniture and gift chain caused a major political row as it unravelled, with some MPs calling for former BHS boss Sir Philip Green to be stripped of his knighthood.
In Southport, 50 staff members lost their jobs. with all goods, fixtures and fittings sold off in a frantic final week.
The site falls within the Lord Street Conservation Area, though architects Wroot Design Ltd say the proposed development would have “no negative bearing on the architectural and historical significance of the area”.
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Documents say the flats would be “social, affordable or intermediate rent”.
If plans are approved, the area could look considerably different in the near future.
Sefton Council wants to transform the former McDonald’s restaurant on nearby Eastbank Street into a “creative and digital hub” a space to support the town’s “emerging creative, digital and tech sector”.
The local authority also plans for one of the town’s other empty department stores to undergo “extensive refurbishment”.
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, has previously said: “Together with the redevelopment of Southport Market, these three projects will work in tandem bringing new uses to underused and vacant buildings while generating substantial footfall to the area.”
Proposals to transform the former BHS site are expected to be decided upon by Sefton’s Planning Committee in the near future.
