PROPOSALS to turn a dance studio into five apartments have been approved by councillors – but it might not be developed for another six years.

A representative of the Studio One School of Dance studio, also used as Brighouse Arts Centre, at Commercial Street, Brighouse, told members of Calderdale Council’s Planning Committee, meeting in Halifax Town Hall last week, it still has seven years left on a lease on the property,

Developers, Milan Property Group, say they have taken this into account and that work would not commence for another six years.

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It will leave the dance studio, which has been at the first floor premises for 13 years and teaches over 150 children and brings around 300 parents to the Brighouse town centre, seeking a new home, said the representative.

Concerns were also raised at the meeting about the inpracticality of the refuse points and fire exits for the building if it were to become apartments.

However, there is an external yard to the rear of the site, used by existing tenants to store refuse, the committee heard, with an amended plan provided to include this area within the application boundary and indicate it as bin storage.

There were a total of 45 letters of objection to the plans but council planning officers said they should be approved as they met the authority’s planning guidelines. In the case of parking, the area is classed as a town centre and would not raise issues.

There were no material conditions to outweigh a presumption in favour of the development, they said.