A planning application for a six-storey extension of a Stevenage office building, and the reconfiguration its current basement, ground and first floors has been resubmitted to the borough council's planning committee.

Building work to Bank House in Primett Road - formerly home to the Comet newspaper - is subject to full planning permission once again, following a delay in legal paperwork and changes to planning policy since its conditional approval in 2018.

The Comet: Bank House in Primett Road, Stevenage, is subject to a planning application which would see the building quadrupled in sizeBank House in Primett Road, Stevenage, is subject to a planning application which would see the building quadrupled in size (Image: Google)

The proposals by Good for Food Ltd’s would see floorspace at Bank House more than quadrupled across seven floors of offices, rather than the current two.

The scheme would also see 422 square metres set aside for restaurant or café use at ground level, as well as an increase in on-site parking spaces from 71 to 146, and provide 70 cycle spaces.

The 0.58-acre site currently houses leased offices for Lloyds Bank, CareShield and medical imaging company, Sectra Ltd.

A new public consultation has been launched for this latest application, which has so far seen four objections and one supporting statement from interested residents.

Concerns raised in the consultation so far include privacy for residents in nearby flats, and the impact on natural light to the properties.

A daylight and sunlight assessment - prepared by EAL Consult in support of the application - however, found that the proposed development will not cause any noticeable change to existing occupants.

Herts County Council Highways and Stevenage Borough Council's traffic and parking enforcement manager were also asked to consult on the application.

A Stevenage Borough Council spokeswoman told the Comet: "The documents remain as they did in 2018, the application went to planning committee and received a resolution to approve subject to signing a legal agreement.

"However the legal agreement was never completed and given it has been two years, and we have had new policies adopted, we are reconsidering the application against our new policies."

The consultation is set to end on Friday, July 9. To view the plans, go to publicaccess.stevenage.gov.uk/online-applications and search 18/00416/FPM.