EXPANSION plans at a taxi firm are back on the road thanks to advice from legal firm Blackett Hart and Pratt.
Tyneside's biggest private hire taxi firm, Ace Taxis, is putting the final touches to a headquarters move to Jesmond, Newcastle.
The move is going ahead following the intervention of planning experts at Blackett Hart and Pratt.
Bill Buchan, partner in Ace Taxis, sought legal advice about plans to change the use of the building from general taxi offices to a taxi booking office.
He said: "Quite simply, we had outgrown our old premises in Jesmond Road, which were extremely cramped to the extent that business operations were being affected. However, we were keen to retain our operational base in Jesmond, which would negate relocation problems for office staff."
Rod Hepplewhite, senior planning consultant at Blackett Hart and Pratt, prepared a detailed planning report for the company.
He said: "While the application represents a minor departure from the Newcastle Unitary Development Plan, we were able to convince the local planning authority that, while a taxi office in the eyes of development control policies, the modus operandi of the business - in terms of the booking office and associated office accommodation - is not too dissimilar to a call centre."
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