Plans to turn landmark building into student homes
GoogleFresh plans have been put forward for a town's landmark building which has stood empty for years.
Arain Holdings Limited wants to turn the six-storey Vancouver House in Middlesbrough into a student accommodation with 183 living spaces, a gym and a pub on the ground floor.
An application to Middlesbrough Development Corporation for the change of use of the building said there was a need for extra homes for students in light of a planned expansion of Teesside University.
In papers submitted to the authority, the firm said Vancouver House had suffered from vandalism, with the rear of the building being particularly "vulnerable" due to limited surveillance.
Plans would include keeping the ground floor units that are accessed from Corporation Road, with four to be used for retail and four as a gym.
The building used to house council departments and in 2018, it was reported that Best Western Hotels had applied for permission to turn the building into a hotel, adding four floors to the current shell.
Further plans were also put forward for Vancouver House to become apartments.
"Both have stalled but work had commenced before stopping during Covid, which we believe makes the existing permissions still extant," documents said.
