PLANS for new offices in a Colchester city centre listed building have been refused by Colchester Council.

An application for a change of use to the existing cellar of 60 North Hill was submitted in October.

If approved, the works would have seen the creation of additional office accommodation and the construction of stairway access in the Grade II* listed building.

The planning decision from Colchester Council said the proposed works “would result in harm to the special interest of the listed building”.

They added: “There would be a loss of primary fabric, the historically inaccurate alteration to its layout and an adverse impact on the quality of its interior."

The decision said the provision of office space is not considered an “adequate justification” nor would it “outweigh the anticipated serious harm to the character of the listed building”.

A spokesman from Historic England said they had concerns regarding the application on heritage grounds.

They said the introduction of a new staircase at the site would be “disruptive” to views of the main hall when entering the building.

They added: “The application does not include any information to understand the reasoning behind this intervention.

“It does not indicate how the cellar is currently accessed, what is the condition or what type of interventions would be required in order to adapt it to the desired uses.

“Consequently, it is not possible to appropriately assess the extent of harm that would be derived from the proposals and/or adequately plan for its mitigation.”

A planning statement included with the application outlined previous applications for the building over the years, which date back to 1996.

Previous approved applications include the creation of an external escape door and alterations to internal layout and refurbishment throughout.

In 2017, an application was approved for the installation of central heating and associated works.