Plans to turn a vacant motorcycle showroom in Bury St Edmunds into seven apartments have been submitted to West Suffolk Council.

The application to convert the Bowers Motorcycles building on Risbygate Street into flats would see part of the ground floor continue to be used as a showroom.

Upstairs the plans would see six one-bedroom apartments created.

Downstairs there would be a reduced amount of showroom space and indoor parking for seven cars.

There would also be an accessible apartment created in the area to the back of the showroom where there is currently a workshop.

The plans state there would not be many changes to the outside appearances of the building apart from the insertion of new windows.

Until the decision is made on whether or not to grant planning the showroom is being rented to tenants including a company which sells wood-fired hot tubs and another which rents campervans.

The site already has planning permission for 10 flats across four storeys. But the developer who applied for this permission felt the building work required would be too expensive and did not continue.