CONSENT has been given for the conversion of a former Dorchester Magna Housing office building into 18 flats.

The Dorset Council decision, which allows the changes without the need for full planning permission, was backed by Dorchester town council.

The site in Dorchester is adjacent to a field, behind the Territorial Army site, which is being used for emergency helicopters while the Dorset County Hospital site is being redeveloped.

The Oak House building, on the junction of Poundbury Road and the entrance to the adjoining Grove trading estate at Millers Close, has been under-used since Covid when many staff started working from home.

The flats will be a mixture of one and two-bed with the site having its own car parking, still used by Magna staff who have moved to Everdene House, a short distance away, on the Railway Triangle Industrial Estate.

Town councillors discussing the proposal said that while they welcome the flats they would prefer to see as many as possible being 'affordable' and had also asked for details of green spaces and landscaping at the prominent site.

Cllr Molly Rennie said that with the likelihood of children living in the flats the plans ought to be show details of a play area and other green spaces, but at the moment there was no mention of either.

Like other businesses Magna found it needed less office space following changes to working patterns after Covid.

Other examples of local conversions from offices to homes include a former office block further into the trading estate and Vespasian House, within half a mile, off the Bridport Road, where work is currently underway for flats and ground floor commercial units.

The Oak House conversion will see 12 flats on the ground floor and six on the first floor with the sizes varying from 37 square metres, to 78 square metres, although the majority, which are one-bed, average just over 50square metres. In all eight of the proposal flats would be two-bed.