According to a planning application, the existing 19th century property, called Bella Rocca, has been heavily modified over the years and is described as being in a modest state of repair on the outside and in a poor state on the inside.

A design statement compiled by Nissen Richards, a London-based architecture firm, says that the new development would replace a ‘flawed and poorly converted building that has been unsympathetically extended and converted’.

It says: ‘The development will consist of 20 high-quality residential units and will be accessed from Roussel Street with off-street car parking provided along this frontage and off Roussel Mews.

‘There will be a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units and each dwelling will be provided with an outdoor amenity space – either in the form of an inset balcony, roof terrace, courtyard garden or juliette balcony – as well as having access to a communal landscaped courtyard.

‘The predominant mass will be similar in height to the neighbouring buildings along Roussel Street. It will have a respectful relationship with the immediate neighbours, as well as causing no harm to the existing daylighting levels that these existing buildings currently enjoy.’

Under ‘percentage for art’ guidelines, developers are encouraged to allocate a percentage of the capital building costs towards the provision of public art.

If the application receives approval, the developers say that Neil McKenzie, a specialist metalworker and artist, will be contracted to build a bronze canopy which would provide the development with a red façade. This is in reference to the name Roussel, which is said to refer to a man with red hair and a red face.

It is also hoped that a lime tree leaf-inspired geometric design can be etched onto the bronze canopy, in reference to the lime trees on Roussel Street.