Glaxo offices that have been used since 1948 to become 28 flats

An office building at Sefton Park in Stoke Poges will be converted into 28 flats after the council gave prior approval for the scheme.

The proposal covers Building 3 within the office campus off Bells Hill. The building currently operates as office space but will change to residential use under national permitted development rules.

Sefton Park is a large commercial campus covering about 34.5 acres.

It has been used for business purposes since shortly after the Second World War, when pharmaceutical company Glaxo bought the site in 1948.

During the 1980s the estate went through a major redevelopment programme that reshaped it into the office campus that exists today, with several main buildings arranged across landscaped grounds and linked by internal estate roads.

The application for flats was submitted by Sefton Park Ltd, which owns the wider estate.

Building 3 is a two-floor modern purpose-built office block with roughly a T-shaped layout.

Planning documents say the building provides about 12,129sqft (1,126sqm) of internal space and already benefits from on-site parking.

Under the proposal, the building will be converted to housing, but physical changes are planned, only a change of use.

The scheme has been approved under permitted development rights; national planning rules that allow certain types of development, including converting offices into homes, without needing full planning permission, provided specific criteria are met.

These include things like the amount of space per flat and the level of natural daylight – requirements which this scheme met.

The council’s role is limited to assessing such matters, which limits its scope to say no to the application if it doesn’t fit the local authorities broader vision for the area.

Looking at environmental affects, this site lies within the ‘zone of influence’ of a protected European wildlife site, meaning it is close enough that extra housing could affect it.

Because of this, the development will be required to make a financial contribution towards mitigation measures designed to protect nearby habitats.

The scheme will also be liable for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). This is a charge set by local councils on new development to help pay for infrastructure needed to support growth, such as roads, schools, parks and health facilities.

To see all documents, enter reference 26/00070 into Buckinghamshire’s planning portal at publicaccess.buckinghamshire.gov.uk