THE entire upper floor of a Taunton office block could be converted into flats under new proposals.

Doncaster-based developer Sourced Ltd. has applied to convert the second floor of the 2 Tangier Central office complex into a maximum of 17 flats.

The developer claims the building’s close proximity to the town centre, including the nearby Tesco and Lidl supermarkets, make it a sustainable location for housing development.

Somerset West and Taunton Council is expected to make a decision on the proposals in the early-spring.

The office complex lies off the B3807 Castle Street, a short distance from the former Tangier gasworks which were previously earmarked for flats.

The second floor was previously occupied by the Crown Prosecution Service, which took on a five-year lease in early-2017.

Other tenants of the building include the Somerset County Gazette newspaper, Taunton Solicitors and Optical Express.

Under the proposals, the second floor will be converted to provide 11 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments, with residents accessing the new flats via the existing lifts and staircases.

Prospective buyers or tenants will also be able to use the existing car park, with a total of 19 spaces being allocated.

A spokesman for Collier Planning (representing the developer) said: “The site is located in a highly sustainable location within walking distance to a number of services and facilities within Taunton town centre, including supermarkets, schools, a hospital, public open space and public transport services including the bus station and railway station.”

Recent changes to planning law allow offices to be partly or wholly converted into housing under “prior approval schemes”, in a bid to ease the housing crisis by delivering smaller homes.

A similar conversion recently took place in Chard, with Chataway House on Leach Road being re-purposed into 41 one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Mendip District Council also recently approved plans to turn the Vallis House complex on the A362 Vallis Road in Frome into 31 dwellings.

A decision on the Tangier proposals is expected to be taken in the early-spring.