A ROW of garages at an apartment block could be turned into trendy ‘studio flats’.

The garages are on the ground floor of a block at Singleton Court, Bury Old Road, Prestwich.

Applicant Mr M Moore has lodged a planning application with Bury Council to create four flats in the ground floor space.

A design and access statement in support of the plans, said: “The proposed flats will all be located within the converted garages space.

“The flats will not be visible from the street scene along Bury Old Road or Singleton Road and will have very little impact on the surrounding area.

“The proposal will improve the overall appearance of the rear façade of the building which like many garage and storage areas has been forgotten and has not been well maintained.

“The scheme includes the conversion of the middle two garages located below the gap in between the buildings as a bin storage area for the proposed flats.

“Each of the proposed flats comply with the minimum floor areas for a one-bed, one-person single storey flat, as required by nationally described space standards.

“The proposal is a good example of positively increasing the development capacity of already developed land within the borough.

“The site is in a highly sustainable location which supports an optimised housing density in a well-connected location.

“The site’s unique characteristics and prime location make it an ideal opportunity for an increased number of dwellings.”

The application said that due to the sites limitations, it did not include any private amenity space for the flats.

The statement noted nearby parks and open spaces such as Broughton Park and Heaton Park.

The scheme is separate to a previously submitted scheme for the conversion of the roof space into five new one-bedroom flats at the same block.