Accessibility concerns have been raised following a beauty salon owner’s plans to expand upstairs.
The owner of Get Set Glo on Crewe Road has applied for planning permission to change the first floor of the premises from residential to commercial use.
Chloe Anchors, who runs the hair, beauty and aesthetics salon alongside Dominique Wilkes, said: “We are extending the salon to upstairs and creating more treatment rooms. We’ve got multiple people that rent from us already, and everyone’s wanting extra space to go full time.”
Floor plans submitted to Cheshire East Council’s planning portal showed the first floor rooms, containing a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and sitting room, would be converted to three treatment rooms and a “brow/makeup room”.
However, Alsager town councillors voiced concerns about accessibility to the salon – both via the entrance and up the stairs to the first floor treatment rooms.
At the September meeting of the town’s Planning, Environment and Community Committee, Coun Sue Helliwell said: “The only concern I have about this application is that it doesn’t seem to be disabled-friendly. There are two steps up to the door, and a wheelchair wouldn’t be able to get in there. Can they provide a ramp?”
Coun Derek Longhurst added that the first floor seemed “only accessible by a staircase”.
While Coun Steve Butterfield said he did not want to dissuade an expanding business in Alsager, he also raised concerns about accessibility.
Coun Rod Fletcher asked whether the business complied with the Equality Act 2010.
In a statement of recommendation from the committee uploaded to Cheshire East’s planning portal, it said “disabled access should be considered under the Equality Act 2010, otherwise no comment”.
Ms Anchors told the “Chronicle”: “We did think about accessibility. The treatment room downstairs is going to be a multi-use space, so anyone who can’t get up the stairs can use the ground floor treatment room.
“We hadn’t considered disabled access to the ground floor, but it’s worth looking into. It’s never been an issue for us and our clients.”
Ms Anchors said it was not possible to install a lift in the building, which has been used by Get Set Glo for the past three years.
