A DISUSED factory which was the centre of a £2million cannabis farm could be converted into 65 apartments if plans get the go-ahead.

Police officers discovered the building in Colchester had been converted into an industrial-sized cannabis growing operation, comprising 6,500 plants at the time they raided the site in April last year.

Rition Mone, 26, an illegal immigrant, was sentenced to three years and two months imprisonment after being found hiding behind plastic sheeting at the site in Hythe Station Road.

But now it could become a place many call home as plans to transform the site, which formerly hosted Gamet Bearings, have been submitted.

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Read more: A look inside the £2 million cannabis farm dismantled by police

The masterplan would see the factory demolished and a new building consisting of three blocks over four and five storeys constructed.

It would see 65 residential apartments built alongside two commercial units and undercroft parking.

The apartments would consist of five two-bedroom duplex units, 12 one-bedroom flats and 48 two-bedroom homes.

A planning report states they are designed to a high standard with “generous” living space and a variety of external communal and balcony space.

The site would be accessed via the northern part at Greenstead Road, but access could also be gained from Hythe Station Road along the south-east boundary, which currently hosts a small parking court.

Gazette:

The planning report continues: “The proposals for the vacant industrial building offer an opportunity to provide contemporary, mix of housing and commercial on a brownfield site, within a regeneration residential area.

“These will respond to local market demand, whilst enhancing the site and its surrounding area.

“The scheme will create an attractive, sustainable mix of dwellings that will encourage families and young professionals to move to the area, whilst promoting long-term retention through adaptable and accessible design.”

Last April, Essex Police was called to the area in relation to another matter when officers noticed the smell of cannabis.

During a trial last month, Ipswich Crown Court heard when they investigated what they thought was a disused factory, they noticed the windows had been covered and CCTV cameras installed.