23 Manchester Street Luton LU1 2QB

26/00073/FULFull ApplicationRefused

Full

Refused on 28 April 2026

Council decision: Application RefusedDelegated (officer decision)2 reasons for refusal

Site boundary (council red line)

Proposal

Change of use of ground floor shop (Class E) to Sui Generis takeaway together with replacement shop front from aluminium to painted timber.

Received: 23 January 2026
Decision level: Delegated (officer decision)
Public comments: 5
Council: Luton Borough Council
Ward: SOUTH

ReceivedReceived23 Jan
ValidatedValidated13 Feb
Consult.Consultation10 Mar
TargetTarget Date4 May
DecidedDecided28 Apr

Decided in 74 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a full planning application for a change of use at 23 Manchester Street Luton LU1 2QB. Luton has handled 619 applications of this type. This one was decided in 95 days, 6 weeks longer than Luton's typical decision time. The site is in 1 listed building nearby. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 106 applications across SOUTH. We hold 1,824 applications in total for the LU1 postcode area.

80% of full applications at Luton Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

The development as indicated on plan numbers ATK26/A523/TP1, ATK26/A523/TP3EX, ATK26/A523/TP4, ATK26/A523/TP2, (Amended), DC01, DC02, DC03, DC04 and DC05 would result in the introduction of an additional non A1 (Class E) use at ground floor level within a defined town centre shopping frontage that already contains a concentration of takeaway and non A1 (Class E) uses. The 28th April 2026 See Notes for Applicants Attached. TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURE) ORDER 2015 Continuation (Forming part of Application No: 26/00073/FUL proposal would erode the retail character of the frontage and fail to safeguard the vitality and viability of the town centre shopping area, contrary to the objectives of Policies LLP3, LLP21 and LLP22 of the Luton Local Plan 2011-2031 and the aims of the National Planning Policy Framework.
The development as indicated on plan numbers ATK26/A523/TP1, ATK26/A523/TP3EX, ATK26/A523/TP4, ATK26/A523/TP2 (Amended), DC01, DC02, DC03, DC04 and DC05 would fail to support the improved health and wellbeing of residents within the surrounding area and, by contributing to an over concentration of hot food takeaway uses in close proximity to community facilities where children and young people may reasonably be expected to congregate, would exacerbate an unhealthy food environment. The proposal would therefore be contrary to the objectives of Policies LLP1 and LLP25 of the Luton Local Plan 2011-2031 and the health and wellbeing principles of the National Planning Policy Framework.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode: LU1 2QB
Application type: Full Application
Scale / size: Medium

Planning application dates

Date validated: 13 February 2026
Consultation expiry: 15 April 2026
Consultation start: 23 April 2026
Consultation end: 10 March 2026
Neighbour consultation start: 17 February 2026
Neighbour consultation end: 13 March 2026
Last date for comments: 7 May 2026
Target decision date: 4 May 2026

Applicant and agent

Agent address: ATK Designs Ashurst Cottage Birchwood Storridge Malvern WR13 5HA

Planning decision

Statutory period: 80 days

Publicity

Last advertised: 15 April 2026
Site notice start: 18 February 2026

Additional information

Documents: 17
Constraints: 8

Site constraints

Checking the site

2/3

Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

Conservation area: Town Centre Conservation Area 1
Heritage at Risk Register: George Street/Town Centre
Brownfield land register: 6 - 8 Gordon StreetRegister site at or near this address
Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.

Also checked, none recorded (20)

flood storage areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves and heritage coasts.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

Source: Luton

Track this application

Get email alerts when there is a planning decision or status change.

Get email alerts near LU1

New planning applications delivered to your inbox daily.

Around this site

Nearby applications

Discuss this application on r/PlanningPermissionUK

For applicants and trades

Contractors near this project

Find contractors for commercial fit-out near this site

View all contractors

Planning something similar?

See what the council approved and refused for changes of use on your street. Pick your home and get the evidence before you pay for drawings.

See what gets approved on your street Buying this property? Report on this address