Two floors of 14 flats could be built on top of an east Suffolk town centre building housing shops under plans submitted to a council.

Plans have been lodged with East Suffolk Council to build the two stories of flats on top of York House in Felixstowe, which is currently home to the Papa Johns pizza restaurant and Poundland store.

If approved, the development will mean the existing three storeys will increase to five, with the flats adding an additional seven metres in height on to the building.

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The properties are set to be built with zinc cladding with a flat roof to reflect the existing style of the building, while no part of the new floors will protrude beyond the existing facade of York House, which sits on the corner of York Road and Hamilton Road.

However, there will be no new parking spaces provided for the 14 flats, meaning residents with cars will need to use on street parking or the town centre car parks, while there are 27 existing spaces at the site.

In a validation statement with the plans, the applicant's agent, architect Robert Allerton, said: "Town centre properties are desirable for their location and proximity to all local amenities and it is this very rationale that creates the desire to live in urban town centres.

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"There is no need for a car when living so close to bus stops, train station, shops and supermarkets; indeed, the vehicle becomes superfluous."

However, in commenting on the application, consultee Suffolk County Council Highways questioned the assumption about car use and said while it may be true, it was not "necessarily reflective of future actual use".

The highways team said there was insufficient mitigation for the lack of parking spaces, while plans to provide wall hung cycle docking instead for residents would not be suitable for everyone, especially people with disabilities.