TWO neglected buildings which were used by the Dorset County Museum for storage and an office are to be converted back to homes.

Planning consent has been granted to new owners to change the use of 4 and 5 Colliton Street, to the rear of the museum, into homes with the demolition of a lean-to extension.

The proposal will keep the cottage-style buildings largely in their traditional form, doing away with the existing peeling paintwork and corroded gutters and downpipes and re-installing a window at No 4 and a dormer window on No 5 to match existing windows.

Additional windows and doors are planned to the rear of the buildings, both listed, which will not be visible from the street which lies within the town Conservation Area.

Dorchester Town Council had welcomed the proposals which they say will improve the street scene with a similar approval from the town's Civic Society which said that any efforts to bring accommodation back into the area was to be welcomed.