Plans have been approved to turn part of a pharmacy into a flat.

Harpers Pharmacy in Hollingbury Place, Brighton, will have its existing upstairs storage unit and staff facilities converted into a home, with a ground floor rear extension added to give the pharmacy more space.

The plans, submitted by Raju Patel on behalf of Arun Health Services Limited, were made after it became harder for Mr Patel to provide services to customers.

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Arun Health Service said the rear extension will help improve patient care by offering more room for consultations.

It will also provide a more efficient storage solution as the internal staircase will be removed, giving the shop floor more space and reducing the need for pharmacy workers to take heavy delivered goods up a flight of stairs.

Instead, the pharmacy will use the existing ground floor and its extension to hold stock and provide services, while a new door and staircase will be added to the front of the shop for the planned upstairs flat.

DJM Town Planning said on behalf of Arun Health Services said: "The shop has become very busy at certain times of the day, making the smooth operation of the pharmacy increasingly difficult.

"The shop is relatively small, and staff are working in very cramped conditions.

"This is exacerbated by the need for ever more storage capacity in the dispensary, as they deal with a larger volume of prescriptions, and the daily deliveries of stock.

"The proposed extension would solve the problem of inadequate space and the deliveries.

"Deliveries can be brought through the back gate directly into the new store room, freeing up the shop floor for customers.

"The new consulting room will provide a private clinic space for the pharmacist, improving the service he provides to patients.

"The extension will make the shop more useable for customers, staff and delivery persons, improving the service provided by the pharmacy."

The plans also stated that the space upstairs would provide a sufficient one-bedroom flat and would "contribute to housing supply at a time of chronic under-supply of housing in the city".

The proposal was approved by Brighton and Hove City Council on May 22.