The upper floors of a commercial property in Ayr’s Carrick Street could be turned into flats, Ayrshire Live can reveal.
Proposals to turn the former offices into homes have been submitted to South Ayrshire Council for consideration.
The property sits across from Ayr’s famous Gaiety Theatre and the plans involve converting the first and second floors of the building.
Applicants behind the proposals are Glasgow-based Rosseau Developments Limited who plan to create 12 flats on the upper floors at 35-37 Carrick Street, along with bike storage, communal stores and develop the existing car park, to form commercial car parking and a residential amenity space.
The upper floors were previously used as office spaces, but the applicants need permission to change the use to enable the flats plan to go ahead.
Convery Prenty Shields Architects say in their design and access statement: “The proposal includes plans to convert the vacant first and second floors of 35-37 Carrick Street, Ayr from office use to residential.
“The application also includes a re-configuration of the land at the rear of the development site to provide amenity space for the proposed flats, while also providing commercial parking for the ground floor offices."
If approved, work would then commence to convert the upper floors into 10 two-bedroom flats and two one bedroom flats.
There would be a shared lobby providing access to the flats and the floors could also be accessed via the lift and stairs at the building’s main entrance.
The architects say the site has been “under utilised” and if approved, the project would help “revitalise” the local area.
The statement goes on: “This site has been under utilised, with the commercial space of the first and second floors remaining vacant for a number of years (To Let signs can be seen since 2008).
“Converting the disused space to residential use would help address the current housing shortage, promote sustainable development and improve the local area with increased footfall and business opportunities for local shops and services.
“By reusing this vacant space within an existing building, this proposal seeks to present a sustainable way of developing the site, ultimately providing space surplus to market requirements and aiding the regeneration of the town centre.”
The statement adds: “Converting the office space into residential units will also help revitalise the immediate area by providing new customers for local businesses and contributing to the local economy.”
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