PLANNING chiefs are studying an application to bulldoze a Southampton office block and replace it with 88 flats in a building designed for working from home.

Telereal General Property GP Ltd is seeking consent to transform a site occupied by Friary House, a four-storey complex built in Briton Street in the 1980s.

Plans to convert Friary House into 46 homes were approved by the city council in October 2021 but the scheme was never implemented.

Now the authority is being asked to support proposals to build an eight-storey apartment block on the site, part of the Old Town South Conservation Area.

Daily Echo: A CGI of the proposed development at Briton Street, Southampton. Picture: Architecture Initiative.A CGI of the proposed development at Briton Street, Southampton. Picture: Architecture Initiative.

A design and access statement that forms part of the application says Friary House is "utilitarian" in character and has a poor relationship with its surroundings.

It claims the building has a detrimental impact on the setting of the old town wall, which dates from the medieval period.

Referring to the earlier proposal to convert Friary House the statement says the extra storeys required to make the scheme viable would exceed the limitations of the foundations.

READ MORE: Plans for 45 flats at Southampton city centre office block

Talks with the council had resulted in the "retain and refurbish" approach being ditched in favour of a purpose-built block that met modern standards.

Daily Echo: Friary House will be replaced by 88 flats if the scheme is approved. Picture: Architecture Initiative.Friary House will be replaced by 88 flats if the scheme is approved. Picture: Architecture Initiative.

"The recent pandemic provoked a change in the way people work," adds the statement.

"Effectively, working from home has become part of normal life and people, in general, have embraced the benefits and work-life balance this provides.

"However, not all homes are suited to accommodate this new way of working and it is the responsibility of architects and developers to provide and design spaces which are appropriate and respond to the working from home arrangement.

"The proposed building incorporates two areas which aim to provide a space for residents to work from home.

"At ground level, the residents’ lounge is located adjacent to the main residential lobby, offering a convenient and suitable area for working from home and informal gatherings.

"In addition a residents’ amenity area is located on the top floor of the development, which offers an alternative area suitable for working from home.

"This area benefits from being adjacent to the landscaped roof terrace."

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