Plan to repurpose prestigious shoe shop

A former prestigious shoe shop could be repurposed into shops and apartments after further planning proposals were submitted.

The original Charles Clinkard shoe shop in Middlesbrough town centre closed last year, one month after the business marked 100 years in trading.

Plans to convert the space into two retail spaces and apartments were approved in August by the Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC).

Further noise and environment assessments have been submitted and now the planning authority must decide whether it gives the go ahead.

Charles Clinkard opened in 1924 and grew from a single store in Middlesbrough to operate over 40 shops and concessions across the country, alongside an online store.

The Middlesbrough branch shut permanently on 24 August, while its Redcar store closed its doors for the final time in July.

The MDC are responsible for deciding the fate of planning applications in much of Middlehaven and the town centre.

It approved the initial plans, but added certain planning conditions needed to be met and approved by the planning authority, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Those conditions referred to a noise assessment and the nutrient mitigation scheme, which was devised to protect wildlife sites.

The noise assessment conducted by Apex Acoustics Limited said the requirements stated could be achieved.

Meanwhile, the final nutrient credit certificate and Natural England's receipt for the total nutrient credit fee was signed off and both documents were submitted for MDC assessment in December 2024.

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