Multiple UK Office-to-Residential Conversions Gain Planning Approval

Several redevelopment and conversion projects across the UK have recently received planning approval, focusing on transforming office spaces and underutilized sites into residential and mixed-use properties. In Douglas, Isle of Man, Kelman Ltd will demolish and rebuild parts of North Quay to create eight new apartments and two commercial units, while retaining and converting Merchant House into residential use. Newcastle’s Monument Real Estate secured consent to convert the 2 Cathedral Square office block into 135 serviced apartments, restoring the building’s historic height and improving public spaces to meet rising demand for flexible city-center accommodation. In Burwell, East Cambridgeshire, Linden Homes received approval for 61 additional affordable homes at Millstone Park, completing their 350-home development despite some local concerns about density and housing types. In Lichfield, plans are underway to convert a first-floor office at Trinity House into a one-bedroom apartment, repurposing existing structures to enhance occupancy and economic benefits. Leicester City Council approved the conversion of three former office buildings into 62 flats, citing the existing buildings’ inadequacy for modern office requirements and responding to housing needs.