CIVIC chiefs have received an application to create an extra 20 apartments at a Southampton office block that is being converted into housing.
A proposal to turn the three-storey Queensway House into 33 flats was given the green light last year and work on the scheme has already started.
Now the owner, Greenglen Ltd, has applied for planning permission to add an extra two floors and a four-storey rear extension.
If the scheme is approved by the city council the site will boast 53 flats across five storeys, plus a spacious roof terrace.
A design and access statement that accompanies the application says the proposed development will secure the building's long-term future as well as providing much-needed homes and making good use of a brownfield site.
It also says the scheme will enhance the area's security by creating a greater residential presence "and the passive supervision such a use provides".
"The proposed development is considered to be fully planning policy compliant and will provide a high-quality residential development on this allocated site," it says.
"It is not materially different from a previous 2016 scheme which has since lapsed."
The statement says the conversion will include "green" roofs extending over an area of 367sq m, plus a "living wall" that will become a key feature of the area.
"Green walls have been constructed on the Millbrook Roundabout and have received an award by the Green Organisation.
"These walls, similar to the one proposed at Queensway, will assist in improving air quality whilst promoting high design quality."
The area has seen a decline in business uses in recent years and a corresponding rise in the number of homes.
As reported in the Daily Echo, Southampton Estates Ltd has submitted a multi-million-pound proposal to replace the former Debenhams store at Queensway with more than 600 new apartments.
If the scheme is approved Debenhams will make way for three blocks between six and 17 storeys high, plus townhouses and ground floor commercial units.
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