A MARKET town will see the revival of a former grocery store after planning permission has been granted for an ambitious heritage and community project.

Former grocery shop, Reah's, in Silver Street, Masham, is set to be converted into a community space while retaining its use as a shop for the town.

Harrogate Borough Council has granted planning permission for the project, created and run by the community for the community.

Peacock and Verity Community Spaces will include a heritage grocery store, Post Office counter, Edwardian-style tearoom, heritage centre, and much-needed affordable rental accommodation for local people. It is set to open in 2022.

Reaching planning approval is a huge step forward for this building and community project. The shop has been at the heart of Masham for more than 200 years, and the backing from Harrogate Borough Council means that Peacock and Verity will continue to serve its community long into the future.

The renovation of the building will include the creation of a living historical grocery of the 1850s, selling pantry staples by weight, combining traditional retail with modern low-packaging practices. There will also be an Edwardian-style tearoom, recalling the store’s heyday before the outbreak of the Great War, as well as the return of a much-missed permanent Post Office counter to Masham.

A community history and education centre based around the building’s bakehouse with its Victorian cast-iron bread ovens will celebrate the story of Masham, which, unusually for a town of its size and history, doesn’t currently have a heritage centre or museum.

Workshops and activities will take place here to celebrate and develop the town’s traditional skills, trades, products, and proud farming heritage.

And most importantly, four desperately needed affordable rental apartments will be created for local people on the building’s first and second floors.

Capital funding support is being sought from major grant-giving bodies who have not only recognised the community benefits of the project, but also acknowledge the importance of preserving one of Masham’s most historic retail buildings in the centre of the Conservation Area.

Now that planning has been granted, the building can be purchased, and immediate repairs and project details can be finalised.

Alan Hodges, Chair of the Peacock and Verity Community Spaces Board, said: “We are delighted that the vision and hard work of our directors, staff, and partners has been recognised by Harrogate’s planners.

"Our architect, surveyors, heritage and business advisors, and housing association partners have been working on this project for several years, and we are now much closer to bringing the whole building back to life."

"We are very thankful for the financial support of Homes England, Harrogate Borough Council, and the Architectural Heritage Fund, and the crucial technical support from our other partners including CEAD Architects and Broadacres Housing Association that have enabled us to reach this exciting position.”

For further information please contact Jan Reed, Project Manager, at info@peacockandverity.org.uk.