Office conversion seeks to add two more floors to Milton Keynes city centre flats plan

New flats are coming to this office block

Developer Fraserview Investment already has planning permission to convert the three-storey Chancery House, in Silbury Boulevard, into a range of 23 apartments.

But now the London-based property letting company has applied to Milton Keynes Council to add two new floors of flats to the relatively small block. The number of flats would nearly double, to 40.

And on Thursday, councillors are due to consider the application at a meeting of the Development Control Committee.Planning officers have referred the issue to councillors to decide because the plan only provides for 12 parking spaces for 40 flats with a range of one, two, and three bedrooms. Council policies say it should have 42 spaces.

Parking policies have been a concern for councillors in other applications that have been made across the district.

Despite the application failing to meet the council’s parking standards, planners have recommended that the elected members of the committee should vote in favour of it.

Council officers, in their background reports to the committee, say they believe that the application is acceptable, on balance, because the new homes provide a considerable benefit to the city centre. It includes 13 “affordable” properties. Officers also say nearly half of the population in the city centre do not own cars.

The developer will also be giving the council £75,000 under a so-called section 106 arrangement to help it provide parking spaces somewhere else in the city.

A local resident has objected saying the new building will overlook their own, and because of the noise the building work will create. But the council officers do not have concern that there will be overlooking, and they say noise can be dealt with by conditions for the building work.

One of the council’s policies aims to provide 3,535 new homes in central MK.

The meeting of the Development Control Committee will be held from 7pm on Thursday, November 7. It is open to the public and will be held at MK Council’s civic offices in Saxon Gate East.