IDC Architecture has been granted planning permission by Hyndburn Borough Council to convert its own offices at 5-11 Eagle Street in Accrington town centre into four ground-floor apartments. The conversion will transform the firm's headquarters, which it has occupied for over a decade, into residential units directly adjacent to the railway station and Tesco Extra.
Conversion Details
The plans cover three office units: the double-sized 5-7 Eagle Street, and neighbouring numbers 9 and 11. Each unit will see its lobbies and meeting rooms converted into single-bedroom flats with various kitchen-lounge configurations. Number 11, which benefits from an extended tearoom, will have space for a separate kitchen unit. The new apartment in number 7 will split the firm's former plotting and printing room into a bedroom and bathroom.
The offices, also known as the Intelligent Design Centre, are Class E business space. The approval changes their use to Class C3 dwellings, joining the already residential upper floors of the building and nearby conversions such as The Old Manchester and Liverpool building, Accrington's first bank.
Conditions Attached
Council planners attached several conditions to the approval. A noise assessment must be carried out before development proceeds, due to potential sound pollution from the nearby road and businesses. For number 9, a front door must be built—the original plans showed only a 'possible future door' with access via a loading yard at the back. A separate application for the front door is required before development can go ahead.
According to the planning officer, questions around parking and accessibility were not considered important due to the site's location within Accrington Town Centre, described as 'highly sustainable' with excellent access to goods, services, and transport links. Town centre car parks are within close walking distance.
The development must take place within three years of approval being granted.
