Proposals to transform the site near the Head of Steam Museum have been submitted.
A discount chain store in Darlington could be turned into a new self-storage facility if plans are approved.
Proposals to transform the Poundstretcher, in Whessoe Road, into The Store Room, a self-storage company that has facilities in the North and the Midlands, have been submitted to Darlington Council.
The discount store, which currently occupies the site, remains open and it is not known when the chain may close the Darlington store.
Poundstretcher was forced to enter a CVA in 2020 because of crippling rents but had seen an £80 million turnaround in profits in the space of just one year, reported Business Live in September.
The family-owned retailer made pre-tax profits of £30 million in the 12 months to March 2021, after renegotiating rents, closing loss-making stores, and laying off around 200-250 shop staff.
With plans having been submitted to council officials, the building could be transformed into a self-storage facility with an ancillary office and receive a full refurbishment.
The Darlington building, which in terms of size would remain predominately the same, could be painted black and silver with magenta signage.
The design and access statement, submitted by The Harris Partnership on behalf of the applicants, states: “Self-storage facilities are increasingly popular with start-up businesses and small growing enterprises, where traditional warehouse units are often too big and/or occupational terms too inflexible to be appropriate for their requirements.
“Many businesses ideally seek a combination of secure storage space, appropriately sized to their floor area or volume requirements (which can often be quite modest, but crucial to the efficient functioning of their business), together with support services, such as parcel collection and delivery, and flexible office or desk space that can be utilised to undertake associated business administration functions as required.
“TSR will offer these comprehensive facilities in a high-quality building refurbishment at Whessoe Road in Darlington, in size, scale, layout and design, that will complement the adjacent existing surroundings, in use, will offer a flexible amenity that can be expected to be of substantial benefit and value to a wide range of the local business and residential communities.”
It is proposed The Store Room would operate between 8 am and 8 pm, seven days a week, and would only be open for deliveries and servicing during these hours.
The plans also outline that the facility would employ approximately two or three full time equivalent employees – which would not be transferred over from other stores.
Plans for the 2.3 acre site, which is near the Head of Steam Railway Museum, would see the number of car parking spaces reduced from 87 to 53.
