A NOTORIOUS carbuncle in the centre of Stroud will soon be renovated after years of uncertainty.

Tricorn House, which is just off the Cainscross roundabout, has been empty for nearly two decades.

But last week at Dursley Town Council’s annual meeting David Hagg, chief executive of Stroud District Council, revealed that building work was set to start on the dilapidated former DHSS offices.

A member of the meeting audience had asked Mr Hagg for an update on the building, and Mr Hagg said he believed it would soon be renovated.

Stroud News and Journal:

“The new developer is looking to add another storey to the property which will require planning permission,” Mr Hagg said. “I expect to see that permission happen.”

Mr Hagg went on to explain that the plans would include 30 two- bedroom “affordable” apartments that would be put on sale for about £160,000.

When asked to clarify if by affordable he meant that the building would include some social housing he said: “It’s a private developer, but I would call those prices affordable in comparison to other properties in the area.”

Last March the SNJ revealed plans by the building’s owners, Oxfordshire Estates, to turn it into assisted living flats.

Stroud News and Journal:

Stroud District Council granted permission for the plans in the hope of seeing the site regenerated. But six months later, with no noticeable development on the site, plans to turn the 50- year-old building into private flats were revealed.

Now, a further six months on, more windows have been smashed, doors remain boarded up and boundary fences have been breached.

Graffiti has been sprayed on the building, ivy obscures large sections of its exterior, and trees grow in the cracks of the paved entrance area.

Stroud council leader Doina Cornell said the council welcomed news of the renovation work.

“Residents have commented for years now on the shame of Tricorn House lying empty, so we welcome the news that it appears the owners are now soon to apply to start renovation,” she said.