In the aftermath of a savage fire, vital repairs could soon be under way on a mill building that forms part of an 1800s industrial site near Stroud.

Button Mills, which is part of Lower Mills at Bridgend, near Stonehouse, was hit by fire last May. Despite the efforts of firefighters, the flames tore through the roof of three industrial units and severely damaged the interior of the building which has subequently remained unused.

Applicant Metric Surveyors Ltd, of Herfordshire, are now asking Stroud District Council for a green light to reinstate the building, which divides into units 1, 3 and 7 and which, would entail a replacement roof structure and a new covering for the building.

External repairs are also sought for fire-damaged brickwork, while general internal refurbishment and new roller shutters for existing openings are also requested, along with the creation of a new roller shutter opening on the north elevation to unit 3.

In a report for Metric Surveyors, Stonehouse-based chartered surveyor DJS Hughes said: "A recent fire occured inside the building, its epicentre was near the north-western end of the building. The fire spread along the timber roof from the north to the south."

Subsequently, part of the roof collapsed while a dividing wall was badly distorted and cracked. After fire travelled into the southern half of the building the roof there was also compromised and the interior coated in soot. Firefighters also had to damage an industrial door to gain entry."

Details set out in a heritage statement propose that the lost roof structure is replaced in timber to the original pitch and ridge line, while the replacement of the roof covering in red powder coated steel sheeting with a steel cloaked verge "will unify the appearance of the roof across the whole building and is of an appropriate utilitarian aesthetic for an industrial building".

The report added: "This part of the proposal will preserve the character and appearance of the Conservation Area in accordance with Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 with no harm to the significance of the designated heritage asset in terms of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), nor to the significance of the neighbouring non-designated heritage assets.

The statement accepted that new roller shutter doors on the west elevation, which would replace existing and lost sliding metal doors, would "make no contribution to the architectural interest of the site, but added: "It is noted that the neighbouring building housing Units 5-9 has also had this type of door installed to its principal elevation."

The developer also suggests the new shutters should be black or of a dark colour (rather than white) "which would reduce the visual prominence of these new features in views of the building".