Plans to transform offices into flats take step forward

A project to transform offices in Northampton into 60 apartments has taken a step forward.Plans for Northampton Borough Council to purchase and redevelop Riverside House as affordable rented housing have been approved by cabinet members.Riverside House in Bedford Road is owned by Barwood Capital which has obtained planning consent to convert the four upper floors of the building.The redevelopment will create 16 one-bedroom and 44 two-bedroom apartments.Riverside House has 127 parking spaces, of which 90 will be designated for the tenants in the apartments and the remainder will be designated for the unit on the ground floor.Northampton Partnership Homes, the council’s arms-length management organisation, will oversee the redevelopment, including the construction works, and will be responsible for letting and managing the new council homes when they are complete.Construction is expected to start at the end of this year and will take approximately 15 months to complete, but it is subject to any ongoing impact of coronavirus pandemic.