Plans have been submitted to revamp the former NatWest bank on Lewes Road and build six flats on top.
The bank has lain empty since NatWest closed the branch in May 2012 and has since become an eyesore, with graffiti sprayed on the boarded up windows.
Now, Brighton developers Hope Homes have proposed restoring the bank and building homes above.
In an application registered with Brighton and Hove City Council last month, add+ architects says: “The proposal is to retain the ground floor and basement uses (as a bank), and build two to three storeys of residential accommodation above, accessed from Caledonian Road.”
It also describes the building which houses the Morrison’s store a few doors down as “dull and ubiquitous”, saying its proposal for projecting first, second and third floors will create a “strong architectural form”.
The proposal also retains a bank use for the ground floor and basement. However, a spokeswoman for NatWest said it had no plans to return to the site.