Architects convert their own offices

A road in Accrington that once had a number of office units on it is set to become a largely residential street, after an architecture firm was granted approval to convert its own headquarters.

IDC Architecture’s plans, submitted to Hyndburn Borough Council, will change their offices at 5-11 Eagle Street in the town centre into four ground floor apartments, directly adjacent to the railway station and Tesco Extra.

The small two-man design firm behind a number of developments and renovations around the town and wider country have been operating out of their Eagle Street offices for more than a decade.

But now their centrally located offices are set to join its already residential upper floors, as well as nearby buildings like the The Old Manchester and Liverpool building, Accrington’s first bank, in becoming housing.

Each of the office units, double-sized 5-7 Eagle Street and neighbouring number 9 and 11 will see their lobbies and meeting rooms converted into single bedroom flats with a variety of kitchen-lounge configurations.

Number 11 benefitted from an extended tearoom and so has the space for a separate kitchen unit.

Similarly, the new apartment in number 7 will split the architecture firm’s former plotting and printing room into a bedroom and a bathroom.

But while IDC Architecture got the green light from council planners for their conversion of their own Class E business space, also called the Intelligent Design Centre, into Class C3 dwellings, a number of conditions were also attached to the approval.

These include an important noise assessment that has to be made before the development can proceed, due to the potential sound pollution from the nearby road and businesses.

Their approval of number 9’s conversion was based on the condition that a front door be built, as the original plans showed a ‘possible future door’, with resident access based in a loading yard at the back of the building.

The planners ruled that a front door must be built, with a separate application submitted, before the development can go ahead.

Questions around parking and accessibility were not considered important to the office space’s change of use, due to its proximity to a ‘highly sustainable’ town centre and railway station.

The planning officer wrote: “The site is located within Accrington Town Centre and as such can be considered highly accessible with excellent access to goods, services and transport links. Some town centre car parks are also within close walking distance of the site.”

Any development of the site must take place within three years of approval being granted.