Fashionable loft apartment-style living could come to a historic part of Swindon –and revitalise a neglected old building.

Developer Highworth Homes Ltd has lodged an application to Swindon Borough Council to covert the old telephone exchange building in Fire Fly Avenue – part of the old GWR site – into seven flats.

The building will be familiar to anyone who uses the Bristol Street tunnel, it looms above the ramped walkway up into the site which houses the Outlet Village and Steam Railway, but is barriered off and shuttered.

Now Highworth Homes has hired Swindon architect Ian Sullivan to convert the building into the apartments.

He said: “They’re going to be quite large flats. My client thinks there’s a market for these sort of flats in that area of Swindon.

“It will be loft-style living – very much in that style.”

Mr Sullivan added he thought the plans were an appropriate use for the old industrial building, which is right next to the railway lines on its southern side.

He said: “This area is being regenerated, and this could be a part of that.

"You might also say it’s protecting historic buildings and finding a use for them for another 100 years, and is contributing to conserving the area.

"Converting the exchange into flats will find a use for a building that’s been empty for a long time.

“It’s certainly better than knocking it down for a car park or something.”

While it sits in a historic conservation area, the exchange, built in the mid 20th century is not listed, and has been deemed appropriate for redevelopment.

If Highworth Homes’ plan is approved, the ground floor would be converted to four one-bedroom flats, most with the living space nearest to the wall next to the railway lines.

On the floor above, three flats would be built, one with two-bedroom and the other with one. All three upper apartments would feature kitchens on open mezzanine floors suspended above the lounge and dining areas.

The only proposed alterations to he outside of the building are to block up one window, and convert two doorways to windows.

Gerry Keelan 58, from Eldene, was visiting the outlet centre.

He said: “I can see yuppies might want a big flat in a building there. It might be noisy from the trains though and I don’t know where they’d park.

“It would be better than just letting the building go to a ruin though, it’s looking quite sad now.”