A SHOPFRONT in Carlisle city centre can be demolished and replaced with a new one after the proposal was approved by Cumberland Council.

The decision to approve planning permission, which was taken on Thursday (September 12), relates to a site in Lonsdale Street and the planning application was for the ground floor units.

According to a planning statement the building sits along Lonsdale Street south of the current bus station and forms part of a terrace of shops along the south side to the road.

According to the decision and reasons report, given the scale and nature of the proposed alterations, it is not considered that the alterations to the shopfront would have an adverse impact upon any occupiers of residential properties in terms of overlooking, loss of light or over dominance.

A separate design statement states: "The units on the ground floor of the building all provide retail space and are currently vacant. Much of the terrace are still retail units except for number 26 which is now residential following a change of use.

"The three shop units within numbers 18 to 24 are within a three-storey building comprised of a three-bay terraced gable fronted façade terminating in three half-dormered, pedimented gables incorporating curved coping over pairs of stone surrounded sliding sash windows. The first floor also has similar pairs of stone surrounded sashes."

The report states: "During the design stage attention was paid to preserving and improving the character of the street scene of the conservation area.

"The existing, terraced building is formed from typical materials of the period with the exception of later alterations to the ground floor shop fronts.

"The shops themselves vary in windows design but materials are predominantly the same with contrasting red and blue brick. This will be altered to form consistent frontage fenestration design."