Plans have been lodged to turn a vacant, eleven-storey office block in Stoke-on-Trent into 130 flats.

The proposals for Blackburn House in Hanley would see the upper 10 floors of the tower converted from offices into self-contained apartments.

But the plans would not affect the B&M store on the ground floor of the building, which has a separate entrance. The offices at Blackburn House have been empty since HM Revenue and Customs closed down its Stoke-on-Trent office in 2019.

A planning application submitted to Stoke-on-Trent City Council says that there has been no demand for the office space for years, but the building could now be brought back into use as housing, which would also boost the local economy. The proposed apartments would consist of 30 one-bedroom, one-person flats, 90 one-bedroom, two-person flats, and 10 three-bedroom, four-person flats.

The plans would not affect the B&M store on the ground floor of the building (Google).

The application states: "The plans provided along with this covering statement clearly show that the scheme put forward is compliant and can successfully be

implemented within the existing fabric of the building. The introduction of 130 residential units to the city centre will provide a positive impact to the area because it will increase the footfall for local businesses in the area who are struggling to keep afloat.

"By converting the upper floors into residential use, we are also bringing a derelict building on brownfield land back into a sustainable and practical

use. The former office use has had no demand since October 2021, and this had led to the building being unoccupied and vacant ever since. This is

no good for the local area or the owner."

No parking spaces are being proposed for future residents. The application says that Blackburn House is in a 'highly sustainable' location in the city centre, within walking distance of shops, employment, leisure and public transport.

The whole building would be thermally upgraded to comply with building regulations, but no external changes are being proposed.

If the plans are approved, Blackburn House would become the latest major city centre residential development, following the opening of the Clayworks scheme in 2020. There are also proposals to build around 300 flats as part of the Etruscan Square development, immediately adjacent to Blackburn House.

The city council is expected to make a decision on the proposals by June 28.

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