Swindon Advertiser:

Town Centre: The company that owns a shop unit in Commercial Street and is converting the upper storeys into flats can also use the ground floor for housing.

The firm, 104 Commercial Ltd, has been given change of use planning permission to change part of the ground floor of 103-104, currently used as an employment agency, into single bedroom studio flats.

It already has permission to turn the upper floors into 10 one-bed flats.

South Swindon Parish Council did not like the latest plans, saying the apartments were too small and do not conform to regulations, but that did not dissuade Swindon Borough Council officers from approving the scheme.

Swindon Advertiser:

Haydon Wick: A new house can be built on the strip of land between homes in The Brow.

The application by T Byrne, who lives in Rawston Close, is a re-application for a previous planning consent which elapsed.

The plans show a three-storey , three-bedroom house with the third bedroom in what would normally be a loft space.

Blunsdon: The effect on neighbours and a lack of space for potential residents has led to the refusal of a plan to build a two-storey two bedroom house in the back garden of 15 Ermin Street.

The owner M Hobbs' plan was opposed by the local parish council, which said: “We opposes this application as it is backland development, contrary to the Swindon Residential Design Guide, with amenity space smaller than the host dwelling, and the proposed dwelling would result in over intensification of the site.

The decision by Euclid Street planners said: “The proposed development would result in a contrived and incongruous form of backland development, which fails to respect the layout and character of the surroundings. The proposal would cause unacceptable harm to the amenity of neighbouring residents and would create loss of light and overshadowing to the garden area of 17 Ermin Street.”

Highworth: Tennis players and netball players will be able to enjoy their sport much later in the evening and in the autumn and winter.

Highworth Tennis Club has been given approval to install four 10m floodlight columns around the three unlit courts at Highworth Leisure Centre in The Elms.

The club’s application said: “Court availability in winter months is severely limited due to lack of lighting on three of our five courts. In 2019 we expect membership numbers to continue to rise – our main aim is to retain people over the winter 2019 and build on these membership numbers in 2020.

The club runs weekly netball sessions on two of its unlit courts and added: “We are encouraged by the popularity of the session and this normally winter sport would not be able to go ahead if new floodlighting is not possible.”

Swindon Advertiser:

Old Town: A takeaway food business that replaced a popular restaurant is to expand back into a restaurant.

Moshan Box Dinner replaced Caribbean restaurant Moshan Island Grill at 61 Devizes Street. It been given permission to use the two upper floors of the building.

The first floor will be used as a restaurant, served by the kitchen downstairs, with 22 covers. The upper floor will be used as store rooms.

Swindon Advertiser:

Old Town: A newsagent, which has been on the market for four years, can be turned into a pizza takeaway

Nobody has come forward wanting to take on the shop at 10 Newport Street since January 2016, but Raheel Deen, who runs a pizza company in Stockton on Tees in County Durham with five existing franchises, has been given permission to use it to serve food.

He can also build two rear extensions and is turning the upper floors into flats.

Neighbours objected because of noise and customer parking.