A MAJOR office block in the town centre could be converted into flats.

North Star House, which is just north of the railway station, is the subject of an application from development company Telereal Trillium, based in London.

The property company has lodged an application with Swindon Borough Council to find out whether it needs the authority’s consent to convert the office block into 272 flats.

The company said: “The site is situated in a highly sustainable location for development. Located at the heart of Swindon the site benefits from excellent access to a diverse range of amenities and services. This includes being within walking distance of primary and secondary schools, supermarkets and other services situated within the town centre.”

It says the close proximity of the railway station makes the building an attractive option for commuters, adding: “As a result of the public transport services available to the site, future residents will be able to access employment opportunities both locally, in London and at the major settlement in the region. The site is strategically located to capitalise on its location, meet housing need and opportunities for sustainable commuting.”

The company’s plans say it wants to convert the entire building into 158 studio flats, with 78 one-bedroom and 36 two-bedroom apartments.

Unusually for a proposed housing development so close to the town centre, parking won’t be an issue. The office block has plenty of parking, and the developer wants to use it for 376 allocated spaces and 15 unallocated.

The building is owned by BT and half of it is used by the company, with the other half by the British Computer Society.

Both companies will be moving out this year.

A spokesperson for BT said: “Having consulted with affected staff in 2019, BT will be exiting North Star House and vacating the building at the end of May 2020. This did not involve redundancies or job cuts, but transferring colleagues to other BT offices in the region. We continue to be a major employer of residents in the Swindon and Wiltshire area.

“Our offices in North Star House had become significantly under-occupied. When we first moved into the building, we had space for around 1,000 colleagues. By 2019, we only had around a third of that number contracted to the building and significantly fewer than that working there on a regular basis. By using our resources more efficiently, BT Group can invest in providing what our customers want, the fastest networks and the best service.”

Telereal Tillium said it wasn’t able to give any further information about its plans above what’s included in its application at the moment.

It is not necessary for an applicant for planning permission to own the property for which they make an application.

If approved the plan could be in the vanguard of significant numbers of houses and flats in the area.

The updated local plan, which is going through public consultation allocates 250 homes to the site of North Star House. The nearby indoor ski slope development may also see more houses as part of a mixed development.