Upper floor of 49 Abbeygate Street, in Bury St Edmunds, could become flats

The upper floor of a town shoe shop could become a flat.

Dudley Mason Ltd has applied to West Suffolk Council to convert the first floor of 49 Abbeygate Street, in Bury St Edmunds, into a residential property.

The building, which is Grade II-listed, houses Seibel on the ground floor, which was formerly Shoephoric.

Shoephoric also used the first floor as its premises.

The second floor of the building is already a flat. It dates from the early 17th century, and is believed to have always been of a mixed commercial and residential use.

In the past, it has been used as a dressmakers shop, photographers base, and latterly as a boot and shoemaker from 1869 to 1912.

An existing staircase on the ground floor, which was installed in 1999, would be removed and floored over to create an entrance lobby.

Partitions on the first floor will be removed and replaced.

The flat would be accessed by side door to the right of the shop front.

A new bedroom/bathroom area will be created, while all the windows will be overhauled and repaired where necessary.