Plans to turn an Aberystwyth building into a hairdressing salon with flats above have been approved by Ceredigion County Council planners despite the objections of the town council.

The scheme for the Sterling Financial Services building on Eastgate will see a hairdresser on the ground floor with three flats on the upper floors.

The application sought a change of use for the ground floor to allow the salon to operate as well as giving residential permission on the floors above.

The scheme will see two one-bedroom and one two-bedroom flat over the top three floors of the building.

Documents said that following the Covid pandemic, staff at the building have had “flexibility to undertake their duties away from the office, thus rendering the building surplus to requirements.”

Aberystwyth Town Council said that while it “welcomed the proposal to introduce additional flats in the town” it objected to the scheme over the provision of affordable housing and said the flat sizes were “below the recommended minimums set out in Appendix B of the Welsh Development Quality Requirements 2021.”

“Although these standards are not statutory, we wish to emphasise the importance of meeting the Welsh Government’s guidance,” the town council said.

The town council called for any approval to be subject to the flats being designated as affordable and conditions “to prevent their use as holiday accommodation or second homes.”

A council planning report said that “justification has been provided for the loss of the financial facility”.

“It is also noted that the town centre is home to a number of similar financial institutions therefore the loss of the existing use will not leave an under provision of that use within the area,” planners said.

The plans were approved subject to conditions by council planning officers under delegated powers.