Derelict land which once housed a Poundstretcher could be brought back into use more than six years after the Blackwood store was burnt down.
A gap has been left along the town’s high street since May 2013, when the shop was demolished having been deliberately set on fire.
While a new Poundstretcher has since opened on Blackwood Retail Park, new proposals seek to breathe new life into an overgrown, boarded-up brownfield site.
Plans submitted to Caerphilly County Borough Council seek to build a two-storey building with a first-floor flat and space for business offering financial services on the ground floor.
A planning statement supporting the application says: “The application building will be similar in scale and design to the building previously on site and to match other buildings along the high street.
“The reconstruction of the building would ensure the viability and vitality of the town centre is enhanced as the site currently offers very little in the way of commercial activity and harms the visual amenity of the area.
“The shopfront whilst modern would not be out of keeping with others within the area and given that there is no existing building or shopfront, on balance the introduction of a modern addition is considered acceptable.
“No signage is proposed under this application and would be subject to a separate advertisement application once the end user is known.”
The proposed apartment would have a lounge and kitchen area, a bedroom and bathroom, and will be served by internal mechanically ventilated bin storage.
The council’s planning department will consider the application within the coming months.