An appeal has been launched against a decision to deny permission to convert former Bermuda Land Development Company offices in Southside into staff housing.

While the Development Applications Board found that the proposed change of use for Triton House was not permitted, an appeal letter argued that the property was originally residential and there was a need for housing.

“The building is currently vacant and the applicant would like to use the building as a staff housing facility,” the appeal letter stated.

“There is a significant need for staff housing in this area, hence the application to change the use back to residential.”

A planning application submitted by the BLDC this year proposed a change of use for Triton House, the quango’s former main offices, on Longfield Road.

The BLDC was later merged with the West End Development Corporation to form the Bermuda Land Management Corporation.

The proposed design would have turned the building’s ten offices into eight single bedrooms, each of which could house up to two people, along with two shared dining rooms.

However, the DAB turned down the application because the proposed change of use from commercial to residential did not comply with planning policies that required commercial uses on the ground floor “unless there is no reasonable form of commercial development that can be provided”.

According to planning documents, an appeal was subsequently lodged and urged Walter Roban, the Minister of Home Affairs, to overturn the decision.

However, responsibility for the planning department was moved last November to the Ministry for the Cabinet Office, where Crystal Caesar is the minister.

It is understood that addressing the appeal to the minister who was earlier responsible for planning would not prevent consideration of the application.

The appeal letter, dated October 22 and submitted by Brunel Engineering Consultants, said the conversion would help to provide housing, which was in keeping with the Bermuda Plan 2018.

“In this instance, given the footprint of the building, including commercial uses on the ground floor should be excluded as this would significantly limit the use of the building,” the appeal letter stated.

“Consideration should be made for the requirement to provide housing should outweigh the requirement to provide commercial use.”

The appeal letter also noted that before the building was converted into offices, it had served as a residential building.

“The applicant would like to change the use back to residential in order to support a staff housing facility,” the letter writer added.