The historic former home of jewellery firm Ashfords in Birmingham is set to be the latest factory converted into new apartments.
New plans have been drawn up to breathe life into the empty site to create 147 apartments, 10,140 sq ft of commercial space and 44 parking spaces in a complex to be called Gilder's Yard.
The application site fronts onto Great Hampton Street and neighbouring Harford Street and Barr Street and counts popular pubs The Church and The Lord Clifden, Tesco Express and The University of Law among its neighbours.
The project will involve some demolition work but will renovate and utilise the three-storey, Grade II*-listed building at 16-18 Great Hampton Street which was constructed in 1912 and was home to J Ashford & Son.
It was designed by Arthur McKewan - the man behind city's oldest swimming pool, Woodcock Street Baths - and is considered a notable example of the 'Birmingham Arts and Crafts' style of architecture, according to submitted planning documents.
A design statement prepared by Jewellery Quarter-based BPN Architects said John Ashford started his business in 1842 in Lionel Street as a gilt toy maker.
In 1905, the company was sold by John Ashford Junior to Joseph Aitken, who had moved to Birmingham from Manchester, and in 1912 it moved into the new factory in Great Hampton Street where it specialised in enamelled work and men's jewellery.
Ashfords, as it was later called, ceased manufacturing in 1980 and sold its manufacturing capacity and stock to silversmiths Joseph Smith & Son before being liquidated in 1984.
The building, which was awarded Grade II* listed status in 1982, was most recently occupied by Frost Electroplating before it moved to a new purpose-built home in Kings Norton in 2014.
Consultancy Blackswan Property, also based in the Jewellery Quarter, is behind the planned new development which will contain 64 one-bedroom, 77 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom duplex apartments.
A planning statement written by Essex consultancy Phase 2 said: "This proposal would bring about the re-use of a vacant industrial site in an area highlighted for regeneration in a plethora of council policies and supplementary guidance.
"Redevelopment would facilitate the conversion of a Grade II*-listed building and other heritage assets, thereby securing their long-term maintenance.
"The high-quality design of the proposal would be a significant visual improvement to the streetscene and enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area.
"The proposal would generate a significant amount of employment opportunities, to the benefit of the local economy."
