Flats plan for ground floor of Worcester's Old Fire Station

The upper floors of the building in Copenhagen Street, which was home to city fire chiefs until 2015, have been converted into luxury apartments.

But the ground floor has remained empty, except for the occasional pop-up event.

EMPTY: The ground floor of the Old Fire Station is currently unused (Image: Newsquest)

The original vision was for a food hall and wine shop to be opened by the end of 2021 - but that never materialised.

Plans were submitted last month for a Mathnasium - an extra-curricular maths tutoring business - that would take up some of the available commercial space.

And a new proposal requests a change of use from shop/office to residential so two “moderately sized” one-bedroom apartments can be built on the ground floor.

Planning documents suggest the flats won’t exactly be on a par with the penthouses found elsewhere in the building.

“Although the proposed apartments subject to this application contain gross floor areas marginally below the Nationally Described Space Standards for a one-bed, single-occupancy flat, they would still provide a more than adequate level of amenity.

“Their delivery would also represent a more effective use of vacant parts of a building lying in a highly sustainable location.

“The layout of the proposed apartments and positioning of existing window openings ensures that future residents would enjoy a satisfactory level of privacy and adequate natural light to all habitable rooms.”

Future residents of the apartments wouldn’t have access to any on-site parking but would be able to access the Old Fire Station’s 30 cycle parking spaces.

“The proposed change of use of ground floor elements of the Old Fire Station into two modestly-sized apartments would add to the social and economic sustainability of the previously approved mix of residential and commercial development,” developers say in a planning statement.

“Safe and suitable access will be available for all occupiers, who will be encouraged to make use of sustainable transport modes by reason of the central location and the absence of parking provision.”