Permission has been given for developers to convert an empty shop into new homes.

Granted by the Lake District National Park Authority, the former bike shop on Otley Road, Keswick, is set to be given a new lease of life.

The town centre building will undergo a transformation from a bike shop to create four new flats, with each containing one bedroom.

A total of three parking spaces will be allotted to the apartments.

It has been suggested in the response by the county council’s Highways Authority that one further space could be allocated to the build, taken from the car park next to the building.

The homes are not on offer to just anyone, but instead have a local occupancy clause attached, meaning those who live in the new flats must do so for the majority of their time.

With an average of 14 bids per one-bedroom flat within the area, according to the Allerdale Housing Team’s response to the plans, the four new homes could help to meet the demand for smaller occupancy apartments in the town once the work is complete.

The building is expected to be extended to complete the conversion, and in a bid to ensure the finished apartments retain the character of the town, the roof will be covered with local green slates, mined or quarried within the National Park boundary.

Each slate will match the form, colour and texture of the roof of the original building.

As the building’s use will be changed from retail to residential, a flood risk assessment initially stated that the chance of flooding could increase.

In an attempt to reduce this risk, it has been suggested that the ground floor is raised by 450mm.

This would raise the floor level out of a high-risk flood area, and help reduce the risk of flooding on the street, for both the flats' residents and others living on that road.

Outlined in the decision notice, the development should begin within the next three years.

For more information on the decision and plans, visit www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning.