THE Newton Abbot branch of a nationwide rent-a-car business is looking to expand its operations in the town by taking over the former ATS Euromaster building.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car have submitted an application - reference 25/01717/ADV - for new fascia and totem signs at the vacant garage on the Avenue.

And Teignbridge District Council (TDC) have this week granted planning permission.

‘This consent is granted for a period of five years and will expire five years after the date of the decision notice’, the council said in its decision notice, which was published on December 1.

The approval brings Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s plans to expand into a second premises that one step closer to becoming a reality.

Enterprise are seeking a change-of-use to a rental vehicle premises, including parking, demolition of some structures and, as mentioned above, advertisement.

In its covering letter, the company said: ‘Enterprise’s use of the site will comprise re-use of part of the existing building as an office to administer rental vehicles and re-use of part of the existing building to use as an internal wash bay and for some rental vehicle storage’.

‘The proposed development will support the sustainable expansion of Enterprise’s business and provide a sustainable transport solution for residents and workers as an alternative to private car ownership’, the letter goes on to say.

According to Enterprise, the key benefits of the proposal include:

• Regeneration and re-use of a previously developed site;

• A modern, active, and commercially viable use;

• Further investment to secure the site’s long-term future;

• Employment generation with opportunities for around eight full time jobs directly at the site and others potentially in supporting services and industries;

• Flexible provision of alternative sustainable transport modes for the benefit of residents and businesses –sustainable vehicles by the hour or day;

• Reducing local parking pressure and air quality concerns by providing an alternative to private vehicle ownership and making more efficient and lower (or zero) emission vehicles available to residents and workers as and when they need them.