Residential conversion planned for vacant office block

The proposed conversion of a Rotherham office building to create more than 100 new flats has moved forward with a full planning application submitted for the project.The Investment Room, supported by JR Planning Consultants, has lodged plans with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for the redevelopment of Humphry Davy House on Golden Smithies Lane.Planning permission is sought for the conversion of extension of the building to create 109 flats. Of these 48 would be studios, 52 would be one-bed flats and nine would be two-bed flats.A total of 145 car parking spaces would be provided.The proposed extension would be built to the west of the main building and has been designed to match the existing property.The applicant has said the development would support growth and investment in the area, as well as creating employment opportunities during construction works.A planning statement submitted as part of the application said the scheme would “result in a high quality residential scheme which would strike the appropriate balance between the need to deliver new housing in the area and the need to promote high quality design”.Humphry Davy House was most recently occupied by the University of Sheffield as part of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, but has been vacant for more than ten years.The 45,460 sq ft building was acquired by The Investment Room in July 2016 in a deal brokered by property consultancy Barnsdales.