change of use?

[Kysanth]

Bit of a long shot here but I was just wondering if anyone on here knows who to ask for help with filling in change of use applications?

We have found a perfect place for our shop,

landlord is great and its a go from him.

Council said that we could turn it back into a shop (it was turned into a office - you know the one's that take over shops to reach their target folk) but we'd have to fill in the forms anyway...... picked up forms.....

Eeeeeeek!!

This venture is really important to me and I don't want to fall at the first hurdle but I know my weaknesses and this particular form is meaningless to me?

So my question is - who do I ask for help completing it?

I did ask the council person who gave it to me if I had the right forms and such and they basically said "yep, now go away"........

[nattynetty]

If it used to be a shop in a previous life then I'm imagine you won't have a problem getting the permission granted...but I can't help with the forms as my shop already had permission granted (someone who was going to rent it before me did the paperwork then changed their mind and rented somewhere else).

I'd imagine the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) would be able to help you through it though as they offer free legal advce. It costs about £100 a year to be a member but if you're opening a shop you'll save more than that with their benefits (the chip n pin rental deal and free banking saves me over £250 a year).

If you want advice immediately have you thought about contacting business link - think how good they are varies on where you are!

Where's your shop going to be? This time last year I had just signed the lease on mine - it's a very exciting (and scary) time :mf:

[Kysanth]

Thank you for the hint about FSB - I shall look into that.

I have just found a bit which says if I pay the council yet more money they'll fill the forms in for me. So I think I'll try investigating that.

Yes it is a scary thing especially in this current climate :mf:buuuuuuut, I'm so excited about it and have had such encouragement from the locals that it's definitely worth having a go at - after all nothing ventured nothing gained! and I don't want to look back in years to come only to say "if I only I'd done that....."