Revised plans submitted for new village hub with café, shop and post office in Dunsop Bridge
The scheme already has planning permission, but a fresh application has been submitted to Ribble Valley Borough Council seeking approval for design changes.
Revised plans have been submitted for a major redevelopment in the heart of Dunsop Bridge, featuring a new community hub, café, shop and post office.
The proposals would transform the former garage site on Newton Road into a focal point for residents and visitors, with improved parking and pedestrian links.
The scheme, involving land owned by the Duchy of Lancaster's Whitewell Estate, already has planning permission, but a fresh application has been submitted to Ribble Valley Borough Council seeking approval for design changes.
According to an updated design and access statement prepared by Erica Wright Architecture, the development would involve demolishing the existing garage buildings and redundant storage shed.
A new community hub would accommodate a farm shop selling local produce, a dedicated post office counter, café and community information centre, including information about the Forest of Bowland.
The existing Puddleducks café and post office facilities would relocate into the new building, with the former café premises subsequently converted into a three-bedroom flat.
The first-floor residential accommodation would also be reconfigured.
Meanwhile, the former St George's Chapel, which is no longer used by the Church, would be repurposed as a flexible community space.
The planning documents describe the existing garage buildings as "unsightly and beyond repair", adding that the site is currently underused despite its prominent village centre location.
They state that the ambition is to create a community hub which "serves the community first" while also providing facilities for visitors.
The proposals include 20 additional parking spaces, three dedicated disabled spaces, electric vehicle charging points and improved pedestrian connections to nearby playing fields and riverside walks.
Solar panels, air source heat pumps and upgraded drainage infrastructure are also proposed.
The development would sit within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with landscaping improvements intended to complement the surrounding countryside.
The application, reference 3/2026/0827, seeks to vary previously approved plans to reflect further design development.
Ribble Valley Borough Council will now consider the proposed changes.