Old register office to become apartments

The outside of the building is to remain unchanged, but alterations to the office space inside will create four two-bedroom apartments.

The stone building in Wellington Road had served as the register office for North Kirklees until the service moved to Dewsbury Town Hall in autumn 2012.

Seeking permission to change its use from office to residential, Kirklees Council’s physical resources departments said the new use would allow the building to be converted sensitively.

Although permission for the new flats was not submitted until September 2013, people have been living there since November 2012.

The council teamed up with property management company Ad Hoc to rent out rooms in the building from as little as £45 per week.

The idea was to keep the building in use and safe until more permanent arrangements were made.

In its application, the council acknowledged the risk of such sites standing empty for too long.

It said: “Once disused and boarded up, this former office building is highly likely to attract numerous types of anti-social behaviour and vandalism.”

It said the conversion to housing, which was approved last week, would help to regenerate the immediate area.