Planning permission has been granted for a large Auckland office block built two decades ago to be doubled in height and converted into an apartment block.
A wave of office-to-apartment conversions is expected, as secondary grade office block tenancies expire and the blocks are put to new use.
In eyeing up the chance to buy the Simpson Grierson building on Albert St, various developers examined the possibility of converting it into apartments, once the lawyers move into their new Shortland St block.
Across town, St Martins Custodians - whose directors include John Baker of McLeod Group and Chris Jones of Southside Group - owned a nine-storey office block at 18 St Martin's Lane, off Symonds St. The building is occupied by FAL Technology Centre which Jones said had around five years before its lease expired.
The office building went up in 1987, but St Martins wants to add a further seven levels to the block and convert it into a 96-unit apartment project with parking for 34 vehicles.
Before planning approval was given, St Martins sold the building but Jones said the new owners might want to carry out the conversion.
The concept of converting office blocks into apartments would only suit some buildings, particularly those with good outlooks and not crowded by other buildings, he said.
Developers who owned this office building at 18 St Martins Lane got planning permission to convert it into a much larger apartment block.
Offices convert to flats
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