Architects working for the Argus Group have drawn up a vision of how the insurance company's expanded headquarters in Wesley Street will look if approval is given for a seven-storey tall extension.

A deep excavation hole has already been dug in the ground next to the Argus offices in preparation for laying foundations for the new offices that will include an underground basement and seven floors of offices stretching above ground.

The original plans have been altered to include an extra 122-foot length of offices stretching all the way back to Trott Road. This additional office space has been made possible after agreement was reached with the Old Colony Club on Trott Road which owned the land.

A majority of members of the private club voted on July 20 to accept a $10 million deal to sell the club and its property to Argus, which opened the way for the insurance company to seek its expanded building plans. That sale is now being protested by some members:

What will become of the club and its building ? which is not affected by the current plans ? has still to be decided, a spokesman said on behalf of the Argus Group.

In a letter included in the planning application submission, Old Colony Club president Raymond Madeiros said: "Final details of the agreement along with terms for the Old Colony club occupation of the existing premises is to be negotiated by the two parties.

The proposed office extension will be linked to the current Argus offices and will rise six-and-a-half storeys high above Trott Road. The additional extension is 122 feet long and 25 feet wide. In total an extra 96,402 square feet of office space will be created by the new construction, of which 21,000 square feet has been created by adding in the additional extension made possible by the purchase of the land from the Old Colony Club.

The building will stand 126 feet tall and includes a fourth-floor bridge over a public right of way. The ground and first floor of the new extension will link directly to the existing Argus offices.