The Chapel at Chaucer Gardens in Coulsdon is one of the few remaining buildings from the former Cane Hill Hospital.
The rest of the hospital complex was largely demolished in the late 2000s to make way for a new housing development, but the Chapel, along with the administration building and water tower, has survived.
Developers Planning Resolution, acting on behalf of Tectonic Space Ltd, want to convert the Chapel into nine flats.
These will include a mix of one- to four-bedroom flats, designed to provide spacious, high-quality living that exceeds London Plan minimum standards.
One of the ground-floor flats will also be wheelchair-accessible.
The northern half of the ground floor will be used for commercial purposes.
The site will see a café and retail space, with a co-working area that includes a lounge, meeting rooms, and break-out space for those working there.
The developers say this will provide a flexible space for residents and businesses, while also bringing activity back to a historic building.
The Chapel has a cupboard housing BBC transmission equipment and a bathroom for bus drivers.
Both of these facilities will remain in use.
There will also be a large café seating area at the northern end of the building.
The two ground-floor flats will each have a small private garden.
Additional outdoor space includes 488 square metres of communal amenity space for residents, and access to the wider green areas within the Cane Hill Park development.
The developers say the project has been carefully designed to preserve the Chapel’s historic Victorian Gothic character.
On the outside, there will be minor changes such as roof dormers and new windows will be added.
The flats are being designed to retain the sense of space and light, while incorporating modern living standards.
The site has a low PTAL (Public Transport Accessibility Level) rating, but transport links are within easy reach of the site.
Coulsdon South railway station is about 1.2km away, offering services to central London, Gatwick Airport, and other towns.
Buses run along nearby streets, and the development provides car parking for residents and visitors, as well as bicycle storage, with spaces exceeding London Plan requirements.
Neighbours were informed of the planning application at the start of October and have until October 31 to submit comments.
The proposal has attracted more support than opposition, with 20 statements backing the plans and 14 raising objections.
These comments have not yet been made publicly available.
Croydon Council will make a decision no later than November 24.
