Richmond's landmark House of Fraser will be turned into a shopping centre with rooftop dining, offices and a swimming pool.

The plans were approved last night by the borough's planning committee, which rejected concerns raised by residents – most notably the decision to add an extra floor and rooftop restaurant.

Approval of the scheme comes against the background of mounting concern for the future of Richmond town centre.

Earlier this week, Nub News revealed that H&M plan to shut their clothing outlet, while Whistles has gone and Clark's shoes is about to put up the shutters.

Residents raised fears that the planned rooftop dining on the former department store will be too noisy.

Richmond developer Sheen Lane Developments bought the store on George Street in February after it shut in 2020.

Plans from investment firm Canadian and Arcadia to turn the site, which includes buildings on Paved Court, into a multi-million-pound retail and leisure centre were green-lit in 2021. But the company later put the site up for sale to find an owner with resources for the scheme.

When quizzed about the future of retail on the site, Henry Courtier, agent for the application, said the planning system had changed since the previous scheme was approved. This means the whole building falls under flexible commercial use, including shops, restaurants, offices and leisure, rather than being subdivided into fixed categories.

He said any company within this use "could currently occupy it omitting retail but equally the proposal before you is to allow flexibility in future use". 

Other changes from the previous scheme include works to the building's basement for a new private gym and swimming pool.

Resident, Paul Velluet, raised doubts about the scheme at the committee meeting. He said: "I remain to be convinced as last time that [this] will deliver any kind of viable possible attractive means of securing the future of this part of Richmond – not least what could be the complete elimination of retail on this site which is not good news for George Street." 

Peter Willan, from Friends of Richmond Green, said the extension would harm the conservation area and raised concerns about noise from the rooftop terrace.

He said: "The papers before us promote a 24-hour economy which is wholly unacceptable for a town like Richmond."

But Andrew Cooper, director of Sheen Lane Developments, said: "Neither we nor the town centre can afford for such a prominent building to remain unoccupied for any great length of time.

"I'm sure you're all aware that the commercial market is incredibly challenging at the moment due to our changing working and shopping habits but we have a number of high-end leisure, retail and office occupiers who are very eager to sign for space within this development if we can secure planning permission for this application which will enable us to start on site and bring this building back to life as soon as possible."

Mr Courtier said the outdoor areas will only be used from 9am to 9pm and that any occupiers of the rooftop terrace would have to submit plans to manage noise.

Councillors said they had no reason to go against the previous approval and that the plans would bring the derelict building back to life. They unanimously approved the scheme. 

Lib Dem councillor Richard Pyne said: "I think we ought to encourage the development to go ahead as quickly as possible because I absolutely worry about the deteriorating state of this iconic building, this immensely important building for the future viability of the town centre, so I think we've got to approve this."

Approval of the scheme comes against the background of mounting concern for the future of Richmond town centre. Earlier this week, Nub News revealed that H&M plan to shut their clothing outlet, while Whistles has gone and Clark's shoes is about to put up the shutters.