ANOTHER town centre office block could be turned into flats.

Nationwide Building Society has applied to council planners for permission to convert Kingsbridge Point – a large office block at the northern end of the Regent Circus traffic island – into 45 apartments.

And because of government planning law about converting offices to homes, the company doesn’t have to go through a full planning application process. It is applying under 'prior consent for permitted development' rules – meaning its proposals are very likely to get the go-ahead.

No jobs will be lost as a result.

A Nationwide spokesman said: “Over time, our colleagues at Kingsbridge Point have been absorbed into our other sites across Swindon.

“With Ramsbury House, our newest building in the town, now operational, we no longer require Kingsbridge Point.

"No colleagues have been impacted by this decision and we are hopeful the property will be put to good use in the future.”

Nationwide’s application says the building already has 43 car parking and 46 bike spaces, which will be retained for the use of residents and visitors.

It says there will be 30 one-bedroom or studio apartments and 15 two-bed flats.

It makes much of the central location of the block, but says a physical separation and lack of doors and windows next to the MECA club will cut down on noise.

Swindon Borough Council planners are generally in favour of allowing more domestic accommodation in the town centre as a way of revitalising and regenerating it. Different shops, cafes and restaurants moving in to provide for the residents and staying open later are seen as a way of attracting more visitors in the evening.

But there is concern it has become too easy for the owners of office buildings to turn them into lucrative flats – and that could damage Swindon’s economy.

The borough council is to bring in a restriction where developers must get full, formal planning approval for such conversions in a zone between Polaris Way north of the railway station to the junction of Fleming Way and Princes Street.

Kingsbridge Point falls outside the restriction zone, so is not affected.

Cabinet member for strategic planning Gary Sumner said: “We did want a wider area for the restriction but it was decided to make it workable, it needed to be fairly tight.”