More than 200 new inner city homes could be built in two empty office blocks.
Separate developers have put forward plans to convert Pannell House, in Charles Street, and Wellington House, in Wellington Street, in Leicester city centre into flats.
Aimrok Holdings – the same company that wants to turn Leicester’s former Fenwick store into serviced apartments – wants to extend Wellington House upwards by two storeys so it can fit in 160 flats.
A few hundred yards away a company called Pannell House Leicester Ltd wants to build a six storey extension at the back of 1960s-built Pannell House.
It would provide room for 70 flats to be built.
Both large buildings have been disused for some time and the plans for both schemes have been submitted to Leicester City Council.
The Wellington House scheme includes plans for offices on the ground floor.
The scheme is being considered by planning officers, but one resident has already objected, writing to them to say it would add to the “imbalance of the student population” in area around the city’s historic New Walk.
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Both sets of developers say efforts to market the building have been underway for some time but no companies or organisations have come forward to rent them.
They say their renovations will create much needed housing as well as investment that will improve the appearance of the blocks which are looking run-down and have some broken windows.
Planning officers from the city council are currently assessing both plans and a decision on whether to permit them will be made at some point early in the New Year.