A prominent five-storey office building is up for sale with conceptual plans to turn it into 57 homes.

Vacant Drake House, by the Citipark opposite Rickmansworth train station, was placed on the market on Monday (November 18) inviting offers in excess of £7.5m for the freehold.

According to the brochure, it has “potential for conversion using permitted development rights, subject to prior approval”. A conceptual scheme has apparently been drawn up which would see it become 57 apartments.

The building has around 4,402-square-metres of existing office space, roughly the size of three hockey rinks.

There are also two levels of car parking available, although it has been suggested that part of this could be converted to more residential space under a future plan.

Drake House, in Rickmansworth (outlined). Drake House, in Rickmansworth (outlined). (Image: Google Maps/Canva) When the block’s construction was agreed, in 1988, a condition was imposed restricting its future occupation to office use, but it was stated that Three Rivers District Council would reconsider this in the event of a change in circumstances.

Savills, which is marketing the property, applied for this restriction to be removed in April and the proposal was approved in June.

When the property was advertised prior to this, most of the interest had been for hotel and residential conversions already, besides Sketchers and Poetic Gem which looked at it as an office but ultimately decided on buildings in St Albans instead.