An empty former industrial unit in East Road, Bridport, could be converted into two new homes.

Dorset Council is being asked to allow the change in a planning application which opened for public comment this week.

The application lists the property as 20 The Flat, East Road, also known as Asker Mill, and says it amounts to 880 square metres, which it describes as "empty and redundant light industrial buildings," with the last use as November 2018.

Part of the site dates from the mid 19th century, with other parts of the building complex dating from the 1930s.

A heritage statement says that when the current owners took occupancy of the building, the first floor was in residential use and the ground floor was office space supporting a light industrial unit.

PAAD Architects, acting for owner Tom Halifax, say the site, which is not part of any conservation area, is surrounded by a variety of uses, including takeaway food business, offices, industrial uses and some residential properties.

The architects argue that, because of the surroundings, the conversion to residential is unlikely to attract high end or the holiday rental sector and will, therefore, "be accessible to a wider demographic" with bus stops nearby and the site only 600 metres from the centre of Bridport.

They added that the property has been empty for two years and had been put on the market with no commercial interest in it, making conversion to two two-bed residential use a more attractive proposition than the building remaining empty.

Public comments on the proposal remain open until May 3 on the Dorset Council planning website, reference 2023/01261.