DEVELOPERS have drawn up more detailed plans for a long-empty 70s built office block in York.

Ryedale House, in Piccadilly, was built in 1972 but its eight storeys are currently empty and unused. It already has permission to be be converted into 77 apartments, but now owners LaSalle UK Ventures Property have put forward another conversion plan that includes a new rooftop extension - which will echo the shape of Clifford's Tower and house four duplex apartments.

The fresh applications ask for permission to reclad parts of the building, build some new ground flood space in what is currently an undercroft parking area and construct the rooftop extension.

The proposals also leave the door open for a long-planned new footbridge over the Foss near Ryedale House, connecting Piccadilly with the Castle area.

In a design and access statement, agents DLA Design say: "The existing building tends to be seen by many as ugly and a blot on the landscape, because it’s big and it’s modern. But if you see it in bright light from the other side of the river, with blue sky behind it, it’s handsome in its own way, and part of the story of the 20th century development of the city."

The planning documents show the total number of apartments would not increase under the new plans, and the new rooftop extension would have the same "quatrefoil" outline as Clifford's Tower.