PLANS have been submitted to transform part of a school and a former convent into a home.

An application has been made to Maldon District Council that would see the historic St Francis Convent, in West Chase, Maldon, turned into a house.

The Grade II listed Victorian property is owned by the Franciscan Sisters Minoress and used by St Francis School, though historically it was previously a home.

It was bought by the Franciscan Convent in 1955 from Maldon Borough Council, who were using the building as five flats, and transformed into a convent and school in 1957.

It was built in 1880 by John Granger Sadd, of John Sadd & Sons who at the time were the second biggest employer in the area and owned a large amount of land in West Chase.

The building is now rarely used by the school, and a council heritage statement found it to be “unsuitable for modern educational needs”.

As a result, proposals have been made for a change of use on the site, from educational use back to residential use.

This would include minor alterations inside the property, a new boundary around the building, and changes to the entrance.

The plans would see the underused school building transformed into a three-storey, six-bedroom home.

Floor plans for the new property show a ground-floor library, study, kitchen, sitting and dining area.

The top two floors would then house six bedrooms and two family bathrooms, with three of the larger bedrooms also served by en suites.

The plans were submitted to the council in December, and a decision on the application is expected to be made by the end of February by members of Maldon District Council’s central planning committee.