A building next to The Nunnery is set to be transformed from offices into apartments.

The owner of the West Building at Nunnery Mill, off the Old Castletown Road, is seeking to change its use from offices two three apartments. There are no proposals for the adjacent East Building which has also been used as offices in the past.

The site had most recently been occupied by Anglo International Group which later changed its name to the Derwent Group which held 15-20 employees. The East Building was occupied by Sundowner Ltd until 2023.

A planning application has now been submitted for the West Building to be converted into three two-bedroom apartments while the ground floor will be for communal use which could include a gym.

There are currently 42 car parking spaces, but this will be reduced by ten to provide an amenity space with seating overlooking the river. There will also be a storage area for bicycles.

When the owner originally bought the buildings, they were earmarked for residential use but office space was more in demand at that time.

In the planning statement, the applicant says: ‘The provision of additional apartments in this location will generate benefits, by regenerating buildings that are presently redundant and unoccupied, and will support town centre initiatives to increase living accommodation in the area, to benefit the town’s economy.

‘We would like to maximise the use of the available, redundant and unoccupied space to create three apartments, for private letting on the upper floors.

‘Overall, the proposed development is in accordance with current planning policy, and we therefore respectfully request that the Planning Committee grants permission for this application.’

The application will be considered by the planning committee in due course.