AN empty former furniture showroom is to be demolished to make way for four new homes under plans submitted to council officials.

The former Clifton Leather and Suite Centre showroom, which stands opposite the Darlington Cattle Mart on Clifton Road, has been used for storage in recent years after the furniture business closed down.

A planning application to convert a two-storey part of the building into six apartments was previously passed by councillors – the new application refers to the adjacent single storey building.

The application submitted to Darlington Borough Council by agent Harris Irwin Associates looks to build four, two-storey terraced homes, each with three bedrooms.

Plans show that the four properties would stand in the envelope of the existing building, each with a pitched roof to match nearby properties.

A statement provided with the planning application notes: “The intended style of the dwellings are simple and traditional and to be in keeping with the surrounding Victorian terraced houses.

“The appearance of the proposed new dwellings from the front street view off Clifton Road is simple and symmetrical to provide an appearance more sympathetic to the original building.”

The report states that there will be no permanent off-road parking spaces for the properties but that occupiers would be able to apply for residents’ parking permits for Clifton Road.

The application will be considered by council planning officers and may go before the authority’s planning committee.