A vacant three-storey office building in Timperley could be converted into 34 apartments under plans submitted to Trafford Council.
Chester-based developer Blueoak Estates has applied for prior approval to change the use of Aspect House on Etchells Road from offices to residential dwellings - a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments.
The building, constructed in 2003, was most recently home to the Altrincham-based Lookers Motor Group, which occupied the 21,000 sq ft premises on Etchells Road from 2017.
Lookers - founded in 1908 as a bicycle retailer and listed on the London Stock Exchange since 1973 - was acquired in an all-cash deal worth £465.4 million by the owner of Canadian motor dealer group Alpha Auto. The company has since vacated the site.
The application is being made under Class MA of the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2021, a permitted development route that allows certain office-to-residential conversions without the need for full planning permission.
All 34 proposed apartments are said to meet or exceed the Nationally Described Space Standards. Residents would have access to 38 parking spaces - including four designated for mobility-impaired drivers - as well as a secure cycle store within the building for 34 bicycles.
Little change to the building's external appearance is proposed under this application, though a separate full planning application is being submitted simultaneously to address window alterations and the partial removal of an external staircase.
Blueoak Estates has delivered similar office-to-residential conversions across Trafford and the wider North West.
Trafford Council will now consider whether prior approval is required for the development.
