German property investment company Institutional Investments Partners has put in a planning application to convert unused upper floors above a store on the corner of Henry Street and Moore Street into eight apartments.

Should the proposal be approved, the new apartments would see residents make a return to Dublin’s retail-focused Henry Street for the first time in decades.

The development under consideration at 42-43 Henry Street by Dublin City Council would require a change of use at the first, second and third floors from storage/retail to residential. Hamburg-based 2IP wants to create eight new residential apartments, consisting of two studio apartments, five one-bed and one two-bed homes and part change of use at basement level to provide residential storage and spaces for 13 bicycles.

The scheme will also include a communal roof garden, with the retail space retained at the ground floor.

The 10.3K SF building was originally created as two stores but has been combined into one unit since the 1950s. Until recently it was occupied by Suits Direct, although it is currently vacant. Previously it had been let to fashion store Evans and owned by AEW.

The upper floors have typically been used by ground-floor retailers for storage but the building, although it sits within the O’Connell Street architectural conservation area and is listed on the national inventory of architectural heritage, is not protected.

Planning adviser Savills said that the proposed scheme would bring vacant upper floors back into productive use and would provide sustainable residential development.

“The proposed development will provide much-needed residential units in the heart of Dublin, while preserving the character and appearance of the surrounding area. It is considered that the proposed development will have a positive impact on the surrounding area and will contribute to the ongoing regeneration of this part of Dublin,” Savills said.