Secondhand bookshop in Albrighton could be turned into home

An application to determine whether prior approval is required for a proposed change in use from a commercial building into a house has been submitted by the owners of Mogul Diamonds, a bookshop on High Street, Albrighton.

It been made as a Class MA application, a planning tool introduced in 2021 that allows the conversion of commercial buildings into residential properties without the need for planning permission as a way of bringing vacant buildings back into use.

The planning application for Mogul Diamonds suggests the two ground floor rooms fronting the high street would be absorbed by the existing home, which is currently to the rear and above the store.

The application claims the loss of the shop, which has been run as "a low-key second-hand bookshop" would not have a "detrimental effect on the commercial life of the village".