THE OWNERS of a Weymouth estate agent firm have submitted plans to convert part of their premises into a flat.

Business partners Emma Hughes and Barry Barnes of Direct Moves, 9 Westham Road, are seeking permission to convert offices above the shop into a three-bedroomed flat.

A change of use application for the first and second floor office space states that no internal or external alterations are to be made, should consent be granted.

The offices occupy the first and second floor above the building and have not been used since September 2020, the applicants have said.

The property falls within an architectural conservation zone and a flood risk zone. A heritage statement submits that 'the interior is to stay exactly the same,' and that the proposed flats would be in keeping with other buildings in the road as there are already several flats above shops.

Dorset Echo: Proposed layout of the flat Picture: Dorset CouncilProposed layout of the flat Picture: Dorset Council

A flood risk assessment attached to the application states that the proposed flat is less vulnerable to floods due to its location on the first and second floor, and that the building has not flooded during the 25 years it has been in the hands of its current owners.

Comments can be made until September 9 via Dorset Council's website, reference number P/COU/2021/01714