The former Gap store has sat vacant at The Brewery since 2021 after the retail giant stopped trading there.
The Brewery applied to Havering Council in December last year to change the use of the space to a food store in the hopes it could attract a new business to its portfolio.
In a cover letter accompanying the proposal and submitted on behalf of the shopping centre, Montagu Evans said the plans had been “submitted on a speculative basis”.
According to the letter, the unit has been the point of interest and the proposed change of use to allow the sale of food and drink was “driven by the market interest”.
They confirmed that the end occupier is not known at this stage, but the permission was being sought to “secure the long-term viability of the site in this key area within The Brewery”.
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Now having obtained planning permission, The Brewery is expected to be able to respond to future tenant requirements of the unit.
Havering Council gave conditional approval for the change of use, including limiting the use of the unit for the intended purposes to between 8am and 11pm.
The council also granted permission to undertake external changes to the unit, which include the installation of flush automatic sliding entrance doors.
