PLANS have been formally submitted to revamp part of Winchester following a public consultation held in March.

Under the plans, The Cavendish Centre in Winnall Industrial Estate will be transformed in new offices, as well as accommodation for 87 students.

The building, which is currently used as serviced office space, is more than 50 years old and currently in a state of disrepair, according to new owners The Cavendish Winchester Ltd.

They say that despite extensive marketing, the building is failing to attract new tenants and needs major renovation to bring it up to modern standards, which they say is not viable.

Now a planning application has been submitted to Winchester City Council by the centre’s owner The Cavendish Winchester Ltd.

It shows the development, if approved, would create 1,272sqm of office space, alongside the student accommodation that would consist of three three-bed cluster flats, six four-bed cluster flats, three five-bed cluster flats, 34 studios, five accessible studios, and a warden’s flat, along with communal facilities.

The studio flats will comprise a bedroom, en-suite shower room and a small kitchen, while the cluster flats will comprise bedrooms (with en-suite shower rooms), based around a shared kitchen facility.

According to the plans, the office building would be five storeys while the flats would be four storeys.

Commenting on the plans, Stephen Davies, director of The Cavendish Winchester Ltd, said: “During consultation, we took the time to listen to stakeholders and the community and made changes to the final proposal in response to feedback.

“Our plans would reinvigorate the site, replacing an outdated, rundown building with an exciting new office hub that would better meet the needs of businesses in the Winchester area. As well as creating modern office space, our plans include the creation of purpose-built student accommodation, which would provide much needed living space for university students and help free up family homes that are currently being used for student living.”

A decision is due by August 12, and the scheme is open for comments until June 19.