WORK can now start on turning an office block into 98 flats.

London Green (Basildon), the owners of Regent House, in The Gore, Basildon, applied to covert the five-storey building into one-bedroom homes.

The block was previously home to the Jobcentre, before staff moved into the Basildon Council offices, in St Martin’s Square.

Under new government legislation, planning permission in not needed to convert office blocks into flats, but prior approval is needed.

This is less detailed that full planning permission.

Basildon Council has agreed that work can start on Regent House as full planning permission was not required.

However, the Echo has previously pointed out that the flats will be tiny.

The building is 36,026sq ft meaning the flats could be just 367sq ft each.

This does not take into account corridors, lifts or other communal areas.

The UK average for a one-bedroom apartment, according to the Royal Institute of British Architects, is 495sq ft.

A previous application to turn the office block into 36 flats had also been approved.

However, Labour councillor for the ward Andrew Buxton said there were concerns about parking from residents.

He added: “Myself and councillor David Burton-Sampson are not happy about it because it is going to lead to a car parking nightmare.

“There have already been problems in Blake Avenue with badly parked cars and surrounding roads also have problems.

“There may be 25 parking spaces with the application, but where are 98 cars going to park?

“The flats are going to be like rabbit hutches and it is very frustrating that this has been passed and there is nothing we could do about it.”

A previous planning application to turn the three floors above BHS, in Town Square, into 162 flats was turned down by the council.

That came after the Echo revealed the flats would be just 256sq ft.

Developers argue that the town centre location and good transport links from Basildon train station and bus depot means that 25 parking spaces would be acceptable.