A former student accommodation house could be turned back into a family home, if plans are signed off by Richmond Council.

The application for the Strawberry Hill Road site says the building was most recently owned by St Mary's university and had space for up to 18 students.

But the plans say the building is in a very poor condition, and would need a significant investment to bring it back for shared use - an estimate of £1 million is suggested.

"The property is not in a condition that meets the requirements for students in terms of amenities and comfort," the application explains. 

"The cost of refurbishing it considerably outweighs the benefits and as such refurbishment is unviable. 

"Furthermore, the site is remote from the rest [of] the St Mary's campus and as it's not an integral part there is no need to retain it. 

"Only the ground floor of the accommodation contained a kitchen to be shared between 18 student rooms."

If approved, the change of use would also see some internal alterations with the number of bedrooms reduced.

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The application continued: "The proposal would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the conservation area or building of townscape merit. 

"The proposed development would return the property back to its original single family dwelling use."

See the full application here.