The developer behind a plan to build apartments on an empty lot on Church Street has asked for permission to expand their plans.

C33 Ltd received planning permission last July to build a five storey, 52-unit residential building at 33 Church Street.

The approved project would include two levels of underground parking and a roof top deck area for residents.

However last month the firm applied for permission to modify their plans to add an additional storey to the building.

The additional floor would contain four two-bedroom units and four one-bedroom units, bringing the total number of apartments in the building to 60.

In their original application in late 2019, the firm proposed a six-storey retail and residential building which would have featured 68 units, but the scale of the project was reduced in early 2020.

Both the Historic Buildings Advisory Committee and the nearby Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity raised concerns about the height of the building as originally proposed.

While the reduced scale of the building in revised plans addressed the concerns of the HBAC, the Cathedral maintained that the building would have a negative impact on the church.

In a letter of objection dated March 12, 2020, Stephanie Mathews, the Bishop’s Warden, wrote that a tall building at the location would conflict with the City Plan and have an “overbearing” presence and block light leading to an important stained glass window on the eastern façade of the Cathedral.

She also raised concern that construction nearby could present a risk to the historic building and urged that conditions be put in place to address that if approval was granted.

Technical Officers with the Department of Planning however found that any overshadowing of the window would only take place during mornings and any impact would be reduced by setbacks in the upper floor of the proposed building.