MOLLY’S Den has been given renewed temporary planning permission to trade from its Bournemouth site.

The vintage warehouse has been given two more years to operate at the industrial estate in Francis Avenue, West Howe after its previous temporary consent expired.

Director Dean Souter was hoping to get permanent planning permission for the outlet, but council officers said the location was “not appropriate for permanent consent” due to concerns over the loss of industrial employment space.

When the temporary planning permission expires in two years, the site will revert back to its original use, which is for ‘general industry’.

Mr Souter previously told the Daily Echo the company was “proactively looking at other sites in Bournemouth and Poole”, but said it was a challenge to find an appropriate alternative site for the warehouse in these areas.

Molly’s Den has emporiums in New Milton, Winchester, and Salisbury. It opened its new site at Christchurch Shopping Village, also known as Christchurch Emporium, at the end of last month.

It is also opening a 12,000 square foot site in Cobham Road, Ferndown, later this summer.

In a case officer report, council officer Tom Hubbard said further temporary permission was considered “reasonable” to allow Molly’s Den the time to relocate to a “more suitable location”, adding: “It may not be renewed next time without robust evidence of marketing and/or the lack of suitable alternative sites.”

He continued: “Although it is not a conventional retail store in the way that there are multiple traders involved, the outcome in terms of the overall use with members of the public visiting the premises to make purchases is the same.

“In addition, the use appears to be a popular thriving use that does have some economic benefit to the area, but it is considered that the location proposed is not a suitable one as it is contrary to a robust and current Core Strategy policy to prevent the loss of the borough’s finite supply of employment land to retail uses.”

Mr Souter said the Bournemouth Molly’s Den, which was the first emporium to open, was in the “perfect location” and was one of the company’s busiest sites.