A historic building overlooking Richmond Green will be turned back into a family home after councillors approved plans to convert the long-standing office space into residential use.

Richmond Council has approved an application by Empire Managed Properties Ltd to change the use of 31 The Green, Richmond, allowing the property to be transformed from office space back into a single family dwelling.

The approved plans include the conversion of the former bank office building into a residential property, alongside works to the rear elevation, new bin and bike storage, installation of solar photovoltaic panels and an air source heat pump.

The Grade II listed property occupies a prominent position on the south-east corner of Richmond's historic Green, one of the town's most recognisable conservation areas.

According to planning documents, the building dates back to the late 18th century and was originally constructed shortly after the demolition of Richmond Royal Palace.

Historical records held by the Local History Library show the earliest deeds for the property date back to 1863, indicating that before then it had one previous owner and was originally used as a family home.

However, since 1992, the property has operated commercially and, more recently, has been occupied by private bank Handelsbanken, which relocated earlier this year to new offices at 21 The Green.

Planning officers noted that previous applications connected to the site had been withdrawn, with the main issue surrounding whether the owners had provided sufficient evidence that the office space was no longer commercially viable.

advertisement

In their report, planning officers said: "The key consideration for the current proposal is whether sufficient and acceptable marketing has been undertaken to demonstrate that the office use is no longer viable. Since the previous withdrawals, the property has continued to be marketed."

They added that while the office space is protected under local planning policy, the proposal offered a number of wider benefits.

The report stated: "The proposed change of use to residential would involve the return of the building to its original use, however the existing office use is protected under local policy and therefore the change needs to be robustly justified.

"There are no objections from a purely heritage perspective if the works associated with the conversion do not cause unnecessary harm to the listed building."

The applicant argued that returning the property to residential use would provide several public benefits, including heritage improvements, environmental upgrades, new housing supply and reduced parking pressures within the Richmond Green Conservation Area.

To read the full application click here.