THREE floors of offices at Richmond House, Bournemouth, could be converted to 43 one and two-bed flats.

A planning application asks if prior approval rules can be used to allow the changes to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the building.

The building has frontages on both Richmond Hill and Yelverton Road and is close to the town centre. It already has consent for conversion to flats with the latest application a fall-back position should the full scheme be delayed.

The block was built in the early 1980s and is a six storey building with two wings connected via a link block with 32 offices and parking, accessed via a gated entrance on Yelverton Road, for 35 cars.

The application related to suites 1-6 on the second floor, suites 1-6 on the third floor, suites 1-4 on the fourth floor.

A language school within the building on the ground floor is expected to stay in the building.

Application papers says that a previous prior approval procedure for 72 flats was granted in December 2020. It says that the new application is to cover the eventuality of not completing the changes within three years because of existing tenancy agreements on the lower floors.

Another application for the block, for ‘alterations and conversion of premises to form an additional 20 residential units with parking, cycle/ refuse stores, collaborative working space, a gym, sky lounge and roof terraces for use of residents’ has yet to be determined by BCP Council.

The new application for conversion to flats is said to be similar to the planning history of Bristol and West House at the bottom of Richmond Hill which was also converted to residential use.

It says that if the new application is agreed it will provide 16 x 1-bed apartments and 27 x 2-bed apartments with no external changes to the structure.

Public comment are invited until August 13th.

More flats could be created on another site close to the town centre – at 9-11 Upper Norwich Road where a planning application has been lodged to demolish the existing buildings and create a three or four storey block with ten flats and basement space for bins and a cycle store.