A FORMER Inland Revenue office which has stood empty for years could become shops, flats and offices.

A planning application has been lodged to develop Charteris House in Charteris Road, Woodford Green.

The proposal, from Havenridge Britannia Ltd, is similar to an application which was knocked back by Redbridge Council last summer.

The main difference is the building opposite Woodford Underground Station would be replaced with a 3.5-storey building instead of a four storey building which was proposed last time around.

On July 21 - a year and a day after the previous plan was thrown out by the authority - the latest application to transform the vacant building was registered.

The proposal is to knock down Charteris House, which stands within a conservation area, and replaced it with a 3.5 storey mixed use building.

The building would comprised retail use at ground floor level, office use on the first floor and nine self contained flats at upper floors.

The flats would include a one bedroom flat, six two bedroom flats and two three bedroom flats with associated parking.

The previous proposal was dismissed because of concerns over a lack of parking.

The proposed development would be have had shops, office space and nine flats above but councillors had fears about access and congestion and that only six parking spaces were to be provided for the whole building.

The council's decision was appealed against but the Planning Inspectorate dismissed the appeal in January this year.

The latest application also outlines plans for four car parking spaces, two disabled spaces and 14 cycles spaces.

Redbridge NHS has been consulted about the plan and William Vote, estates strategic development manager, commented that the building is set in an area of health deficiency.

He said more homes would increase the demand for health care and to offset that a contribution of £8,121 would be needed to fund necessary improvements to local GP practices and the Wanstead polyclinic.

Redbridge Council will make a decision at a later date.