Independent furnishings business Dutch Living has welcomed plans that will see a number of flats being developed above its Shrewsbury store.

According to a planning application to Shropshire Council, developers Marshall & Marshall Limited plan to convert six existing residential spaces above the store on Castle Street into nine apartments.

As part of this, the landlord is also planning to develop the basement of the premises, which will double the footprint of Dutch Living’s store.

Commenting on the proposal, Anna Kayiatou, Owner at Dutch Living, said: “In our opinion, the more people that live in the town centre the better – it can only be a good thing for businesses in the town. They also intend to repair and redecorate the external upper floors, which will make the building more attractive. We are very excited.”

The business secured a lease of the ground floor shop back in December 2021 and since its arrival, the company has continued to grow.

“As part of this growth, the Landlord is assisting us in refurbishing a large basement area under our existing showroom, which we are hoping to have open to the public by April, marking our two-year anniversary too.

“The basement was previously used for retail sales back in the 1960’s by a stationery and record shop called Wildings, but the staircase was then boarded over by a later tenant of the shop. We’re really excited about opening it up again after all these years to create what will be a really quirky addition to the shop in which we will be introducing a wider range of furniture from a selection of new Dutch Suppliers.”