Work is set to begin on the renovation of a former regional daily office into flats and a rooftop garden.

The £2m project will see the old St John’s Lane home of Gloucester daily The Citizen turned into 13 upmarket flats, with a showroom apartment set to be installed before Christmas.

The renovated site will feature a penthouse with views of Gloucester Cathedral and the countryside as far as the Malvern Hills.

Planning permission was granted for the site in October 2015, but developer and former Citizen paper boy Chance Malone has been busy with other projects.

There are plans to install reflective cladding on the north side of the building, meaning people walking towards the city centre will be able to see the spectacle of the Cathedral reflected on the wall.

Speaking at the time of submitting the proposals, Mr Malone said: “I would love to transform that wall into a big picture for visitors. I think this could help transform Gloucester, it could be a real tourist feature.

“Everyone else wants to put 20 or 30 flats in here but that’s no good. I want to make them good quality and add something to Gloucester.”

Citizen staff left St John’s Lane in 2007 for a new base at The Oxebode.  However, last year they relocated to the Cheltenham office of the Gloucestershire Echo after their lease expired.