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A residential garage was converted to a commercial beauty room without permission an application has revealed. 

The homeowner has now gained approval to allow them to operate an appointment only beauty business from the garage at the side of their new build home four days a week. 

The applicant, who has only been identified as K Lewis, had previously operated a beauty business for more than 12 years in a commercial premises but had relocated to their home, at Heol Ewen in Pontrhydyrun, Cwmbran due to “changing personal and financial circumstances” according to their application. 

The garage was converted in March of last year and adaptations include a timber stud lined wall as internal partition between the beatuy room and the front of the garage, which is still used for storage, with the floor raised to the level of the house.

A small wash-hand basin has been installed and connected to the existing drainage and water supply. 

The garage door has been retained to provide access to the part used for storage with access to the beauty room via a side door with double-glazed uPVC opaque glazing, to preserve the privacy of neighbouring properties and prevent any impact on residential amenity. 

There are no employees or additional staff involved with the business and appointments are, according to the application, “managed strictly by pre-booking only, with no walk-in clients permitted”. 

There is a minimum of 30 minutes between appointments and Lewis’ suggested opening hours of 10am to 2pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 12 noon to 7pm on Tuesdays have been included as a condition of the planning permission. 

The condition also states only one client is permitted to visit the beauty salon at any one time. 

According to the application only two clients will typically visit on any day though at busier times it can be up to three. 

The application states the house has five off-street parking spaces on the driveway, which it says, meets the council’s policy and the appointment system avoids congestion or clients waiting on the street while the area is also well served by public transport.  

Torfaen planning officer Mia McAndrew said in her report, which approved the retrospective application, the conversion of the garage had resulted in the loss of one parking space but four cars can be “suitably accommodated on the drive” and also noted as well as a regular bus service the residential location means clients could also walk to appointments. 

She said the use as a beauty room is acceptable and could be approved and stated: “The proposal would not have a detrimental impact on parking and highway safety.”