Flats plan for empty offices in conservation area

Three empty office buildings in a "desolate" part of Leicester city centre have been earmarked for flats.

An application seeking permission to turn the properties on the corner of Grey Friars and Friar Lane, near Leicester Cathedral, into 62 new homes has been submitted to Leicester City Council.

The buildings - two of which are listed - sit on the site of what was once the Franciscan Friary in the Greyfriars conservation area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Developers said the buildings were "falling into disrepair" and the conservation area was in "significant need of revitalisation".

Developer Quantum Capital Ventures Ltd has put forward a scheme that would see much of the buildings turned into one and two-bed apartments, the LDRS said.

The company said the empty offices had "clearly been subject to neglect, vandalism, and anti-social behaviour" over the years.

The buildings, along with other empty properties nearby, have created a sense the area was "desolate, stagnant, and in significant need of revitalisation", it added.

A roof extension to create nine of the proposed flats has been suggested as part of the plans, with the developer saying it was needed to make the project "financially viable".

The ground floor of one of the properties would be kept as offices and storage space and cycle storage would be included for the flats.

The project would also see "unsympathetic" features which have been added to the buildings over the years removed, revealing "historic fabric" of the building which is currently hidden.

A public consultation on the plans is set to run until 16 January with the city council due to make a decision in March.

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