Plans tabled for housing at Riverside House and the Sling in Salisbury

Riverside House, an asset of community value, could be converted into three townhouses with the inclusion of 14 new homes at an adjacent piece of land called 'the Sling'.

The three-storey Victorian building has been boarded up and vacant since 2017 after Wiltshire Council cut £190,000 from the county's youth services in 2014.

Grosvenor Riverside Ltd, owned by the Clydesdale Group, previously bought the neighbouring property and planned to develop Grosvenor House into four houses but sold it earlier this year.

Now, developers have obtained a section of land to the rear of Riverside which comprises a two-storey building and was last used as a pigeon loft but originally used as stables.

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The Sling has also been used as a temporary car park and has a variety of temporary buildings and sheds within it.

Existing buildings in the Sling. (Image: Atlas Planning Group)

Four parts comprise the proposals, block A would see the ancillary additions to Riverside House removed and replaced by a new three-storey residential building.

Two semi-detached houses would be built slightly further down toward the Sling, inside 'block B'.

A low-level terrace providing seven individual dwellings is planned for the Sling itself (labelled Block C).

The proposals are made up of four parts. (Image: Atlas Planning Group)

The plans are under consultation until November 16 and Wiltshire Council must make a decision on whether to approve the plans on January 3, 2024.

A spokesperson for Atlas Planning Group, which prepared the planning documents, described the proposal as "an exciting and deliverable scheme" which would "contribute to the vitality and vibrancy of Salisbury".

"The proposal will bring back into use a building that is considered to contribute to the setting of the Salisbury Conservation Area and provide much-needed housing in a sustainable location," they added.

While the development borders the River Avon, there would be a five-metre 'buffer zone' along the edge to preserve it as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

In 2016, developers suggested demolishing the buildings to build 22 flats in place of Riverside and Grosvenor houses but it was not supported and the council said they made a "positive contribution" to the character of the conservation area.

But in July 2022, Wiltshire Council granted prior approval to convert the existing buildings into housing following Clydesdale's successful application.