Coach House, Balkerne Close, Colchester Town Colchester CO1 1NZ Data via plota.co.uk

261338 - Change of Use Office to Dwelling Approved
Change of useNew homesCommercial premises

Proposal

Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed:Change of use from Commercial, Business and Service (Use Class E) to Dwellinghouse(Use Class C3)- 1 bedroom dwelling Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
20 Jul 2026
✓
Approved
14 Sept 2026

Approved on 14 Sept 2026 · Last checked 14 Oct 2026

Documents

View the documents on the council's website ↗

Site constraints 7

Colchester Area 1 conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
37 listed buildings within 150 m
Nearest: Tudor Cottage, Grade II, 11 m away · 2 Grade I, 5 Grade II*, 30 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 37 with distances
Historic England ↗
Scheduled monument 115 m away: Town Wall
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Nationally important archaeology protected by the Secretary of State. Work that affects the monument or its setting is rarely permitted.
Historic England ↗
Protected tree 10 m away: Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastinum), order 02/68
Named in a tree preservation order: work to it, its roots included, needs the council's consent first.
Root protection areas reach up to 15 m from a large tree, so an extension or new foundations this close usually needs a tree survey. Only some councils publish their single trees, and a position can be approximate: the order at the council is the definitive record, and no tree shown is not proof there is none.
Tree record ↗
Also on the record
Local nature reserve 446 m away: Hilly Fields; Inside the Colchester built-up area; Heritage at risk 87 m away: Church of St Peter, North Hill, Colchester.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt

Checked on 2 November 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Building

Floor area58 m² (624 sq ft)
Energy ratingD (asset rating 79)
UseRetail/Financial and Professional Services
HeatingHeating and Natural Ventilation

From the energy performance certificate lodged in June 2025, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council
Colchester
Application type
Change of Use Office to Dwelling
Postcode
CO1 1NZ
Received
20 Jul 2026
Validated
20 Jul 2026
Ward
Castle
Parish
Colchester
Case officer
Show
Target decision
14 Sept 2026
Decision
Prior Approval Required (Approved)
Decision date
14 Sept 2026
Applicant
Show
Agent
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 56 days from validation, about the council's usual 56 days. Approved, as 73% of changes of use here are.

51%decided within 8 weeks
73%approved
103decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Colchester in the last twelve months, from validation. Colchester decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
14 Aug 2026

Historical activity at this location

25 nearby applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2025 Approved
57 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Change of use of the Grade II Listed 57 North Hill from offices to onesingle residential…
252147
2025 Approved
57 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Listed building consent application for change of use of the Grade II Listed 57 North Hil…
252148
2025
St Peters Vicarage, Balkerne Close, Colchester Colchester CO1 1NZ
T1 - Fig Tree - Reduce by 3-4m. To control size fro location. T2 - Yew Tree - Reduce by 1…
252382
2025
1a Parsley House, Balkerne Gardens, Colchester CO1 1PR
T1 & T2 - Prunus - Re-reduce to previous reduction points (approx. 1m reduction) G3 - Eld…
252368
2025 Refused
59 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Listed building consent application for a change of use from office toHMO providing 13 ro…
251654
2025 Refused
59 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Change of use from office to HMO providing 13 rooms
251646
2025 Approved
66 North Hill, Colchester Essex CO1 1PX
Replacement of existing signage with new Pictorial sign, Bullnose fascia with face illumi…
251220
2025 Approved
Colchester Sixth Form College, North Hill, Colchester Colchester CO1 1SN
Restoration and replacement of deteriorated features, comprising stone cornices and parap…
250895
2024 Approved
59 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Conversion of building from office to 12 room HMO
241368
2024 Approved
59 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Conversion of building from office to 12 room HMO
241368
2024 Approved
59 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1QF
Listed building application for the conversion of building from officeto 12 room HMO
241369
2024 Approved
59 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1QF
Listed building application for the conversion of building from officeto 12 room HMO
241369
2024 Approved
The Jumbo Water Tower, Balkerne Passage, Colchester CO1 1PA
Repair and redevelopment of Jumbo to create a multifunctional heritage interpretation and…
242060
2024 Approved
The Jumbo Water Tower, Balkerne Passage, Colchester CO1 1PA
Repair and redevelopment of Jumbo to create a multifunctional heritage interpretation and…
242060
2024 Approved
57 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Change of use from offices to residential, providing 3no self- contained apartments with…
240717
2024 Approved
57 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Listed building application for change of use from offices to residential, providing 3no…
240718
2024 Approved
57 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Change of use from offices to residential, providing 3no self- contained apartments with…
240717
2024 Approved
57 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Listed building application for change of use from offices to residential, providing 3no…
240718
2024 Approved
The Jumbo Water Tower, Balkerne Passage, Colchester CO1 1PA
Listed building application for Repair and redevelopment of Jumbo to create a multifuncti…
242061
2024 Approved
The Jumbo Water Tower, Balkerne Passage, Colchester CO1 1PA
Listed building application for Repair and redevelopment of Jumbo to create a multifuncti…
242061
2016 Approved
St Peters Church, North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PX
Demolish existing western steps and brick flank walls and replace with new stone steps an…
162767
2016
Colchester Sixth Form College, Sixth Form College, North Hill, Colchester CO1 1SN
Fell dead Rowan 4 x London Plane re pollard back to original points
162953
2016
The Jumbo Water Tower, Balkerne Passage, Colchester CO1 1PA
Remove 2 x Silver Birch which inhibit vehicular access to car parking spaces
161571
2016
St. Peters Vicarage, Balkerne Close, Colchester CO1 1NZ
Horse Chestnut on boundary with care home. Fell to ground level as tree is in terminal de…
161309
2016 Approved
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Change of use from financial office A2 to residential C3. (building previously residentia…
160470
Colchester
Planning Authority Score
6.2/10
Average
#91 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Colchester is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #43 out of 296. Only 27% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Colchester is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 84% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 84% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Colchester decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
82%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #245 of 296
84%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #255 of 296
79%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #43 of 296
27%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #39 of 296
67%
Minor dwellings approved
69 decided (1-9 homes)
85%
Major dwellings approved
13 decided (10+ homes)
75%
Change of use approved
89 decided
1,074
Total decisions
188 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.