A former antique shop in Montgomery, Powys, could soon be transformed into a residential property under newly submitted planning proposals.
The building, known as The Armoury on Kerry Street, currently houses the business Antique Ideology. Owners have applied to Powys County Council to revert the premises back to residential use, citing sustained commercial challenges and historical precedent.
The Armoury has a varied past, once serving as the town’s Post Office sorting office. It has also functioned as a private residence during periods in the 1990s and 2000s. The proposed change would mark the first return to residential use in 15 years.
In the planning application, owner Gavin Crumpton detailed the economic pressures faced by small-town retailers. He explained that after acquiring the property in 2009, permission was granted the following year to operate a retail business from the premises. The shop then traded five to six days a week over an eight-year period but experienced a steady decline in footfall and sales.
Crumpton argued that operating a viable retail business in Montgomery, a small market town already served by two established general stores, is increasingly unfeasible. He pointed to the shop’s location—around a corner and out of sight from the main town centre—as a key disadvantage.
“The reality in changing times is that the use of historical buildings sometimes needs to change so that they remain of purpose,” the application states. He added that several nearby properties, including those with arguably more prominent historic shopfronts, have been granted permission to return to full residential use.
Crumpton’s application highlights the broader trend of adapting historical commercial buildings to meet contemporary needs and economic realities in rural Welsh towns. Powys County Council will now consider the proposed change of use.
