A takeaway coffee shop based in a Grade II listed vicarage in Preston city centre has been allowed to stay open despite no planning permission being in place.

Holy Grounds opened in June 2021 in the garage of 13 Ribblesdale Place, which is owned by the Vicar of Preston and sits at the edge of Avenham Park.

A change of use application to convert part of the garage into the takeaway was registered with Preston City Council on 10 December, along with a listed building consent.

The business is owned by Hannah Haigh, who is married to the Vicar of Preston, Rev Sam Haigh.

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Hannah said: “Initially we were unsure about whether a planning application was needed.

“The Planning Team at Preston City Council were incredibly helpful and allowed us to stay open while submitting a retrospective planning application.”

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Planning documentation states that the 15 sq m space contains a timber counter for brewing and serving coffee, and a table for doughnut making equipment. Screens are used to hide personal belongings to the rear of the garage.

The application also says the open garage door, counter and a small free-standing floor mounted sign are the only visual impacts during opening hours.

Hannah added: “We have loved how much joy the coffee stop has brought to people, on a personal level we’ve loved getting to know our local community and hope the coffee stop will continue to gather people who live and work in the area.”

A spokesperson for Preston City Council said: “As this is a live planning application and the council is the decision maker, we are unable to provide a comment at this time.”

Visit the Preston City Council website to view the full application (06/2021/1643) and the listed building consent (06/2021/1644).

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