An application submitted to Lewisham Council this month has proposed changes to 10 Montpelier Vale, formerly Mary’s Living & Giving charity shop, into a cheese business with cold storage rooms along with a two-bedroom flat.
Plans submitted by The Dyers Company would see the building redesigned into two separate uses, retaining a shop on the ground floor while converting the upper floors into a self-contained residential flat with independent access from the rear.
According to planning documents, the ground-floor unit is intended to operate as a cheese shop and would include the addition of a rear cold-room.
The business behind the plans is Mons Cheesemongers, a specialist cheese retailer with roots in France dating back to the 1950s and has become well known with a stall in Borough Market and stores in Bermondsey and East Dulwich.
The company sources traditionally made Continental and British cheeses, ageing them in cellars in London and France.
Plans for the Blackheath site includes the construction of a single-storey infill extension at the rear of the building to house a cold storage room, which would not be visible from Montpelier Vale.
The application also includes replacing the existing shopfront with a new double-glazed metal frontage, along with new shop signage and the installation of a retractable awning, designed to be in keeping with neighbouring properties along the parade.
The upper floors would be converted into a two-bedroom flat, accessed via a private staircase from the rear of the building, keeping residential access separate from the shop.
Architects Fraher, who are fronting the design, said the proposals are intended to deliver a “sensitive, heritage-led restoration” of the building, which sits within the Blackheath Conservation Area.
Planning documents note that the existing shopfront is non-original, as the building was largely rebuilt following damage during the Second World War, meaning its replacement would not result in the loss of historic fabric.
The development would increase the building’s internal floorspace slightly, from 148 square metres to 154 square metres, and includes new bin storage for the residential unit at the rear of the property.
If approved, building works are expected to begin in January 2026 and be completed by March 2026.
The application is currently under consideration by Lewisham Council, with a decision expected to be reached by February 10, 2026.
