A row of Georgian and Victorian houses near Leicester Cathedral is to be brought back into use as homes.

The plan would restore the empty listed buildings in New Street and bring more residents to the heart of the city, which city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is trying to encourage.

The planning application for 10, 12 and 14 New Street – which were most recently offices – has been put in by Hazelton Homes.

Director Tom Hazelton said: “Parts of the buildings have been empty for some time because they’re not really suitable for modern offices.

“There’s a lot of work to be done to restore them but the layout inside is already suitable for houses because that’s what they were originally designed to be 200 years ago.

“We’re putting them back into use and I think it will be good for the area. It’s nice to have people living in the city rather than empty buildings that can lead to vandalism.”

The plan has been welcomed by Leicester Civic Society.

Chairman Stuart Bailey said: “Number 10 New Street is Victorian and 12 and 14 are both Georgian townhouses.

“They are in danger of becoming run-down and derelict so I’m glad something is being done with them.

“It’s very much in the spirit of what we want to see happening more in that area.”

Sir Peter said the city council had plans to do similar things to other city centre offices.

He said: “It’s absolutely brilliant news and it’s wonderful to see the investment in the area and more opportunities for people to live in the area.

“It’s an historic part of Leicester that’s being brought back to life.

“The city council owns a few former residential buildings around the cathedral that have been used as offices and we’re going to be turning them into homes, too.

“We’ve seen a lot of investment in new apartments in Leicester and what we need now is a mix of types of accommodation, including family homes.”

The planning application was made in January and is expected to be approved by the city council in the coming weeks.