A decision is set to be made this week on an application to convert the former Laly’s Chemist on the corner of Downing Street into a home of multiple occupation.

Laly’s Chemist is now attached to Central Surgery at 1 Union Road, leaving the previous premises unoccupied, so owner Benarsh Laly has applied for permission for a change of use from being a commercial building to a residential property to house four people.

This will involve alterations to the interior and, as it is a Grade II-listed building, this has raised concerns about the impact on the fabric, even though the alterations will be to the inside, not the exterior.

Richard Hunt, chair of the Farnham Society, said that converting listed buildings into temporary rented accommodation “often results in a lack of care for the property’s exterior and surrounding area”.

He added that “even internal changes fundamentally alter the historical layout and use of the building” and that this would harm the building’s heritage significance which would conflict with Waverley Borough Council’s stated policies which require heritage assets to be conserved or enhanced (policies HA1 and FNP2).

Both the Farnham Society and Farnham Town Council have expressed concerns about the proposed accommodation with Richard Hunt saying that even the applicant had admitted that, at 80 sq m, the house would be below the accepted size for a standard dwelling which is 97 sq m.

He said: “While individual bedrooms might meet minimum sizes, the overall lack of space impacts communal areas and storage, leading to a cramped, substandard living environment for four people”.

Downing Street is predominantly a retail area and Richard Hunt said that allowing the change would “set a dangerous precedent that could lead to an overconcentration of non-retail uses, harming the vitality of the town centre”.

A decision was due to be made on Friday.