The new owner of The Arts Building in Finsbury Park want to develop a large retail space on the ground floor of the premise.
U+I brought the 57,000 sq ft Morris Place site off John Jones in January for a fee rumoured to be in the £15million region.
It's now seeking planning permission to turn the office space and disused cafe unit on the ground floor into retail space.
The Walnut cafe occupied a ground floor unit in the building until last year, when it closed because owner Emma Duggan couldn't afford the rent. It's been empty since.
A U+I spokesperson said: "The Arts Building will incorporate a mix of uses to appeal to a broad range of businesses, from creative enterprises to high street brands.
"The option to change the ground floor to retail would bring life to the street and offer valuable facilities for local people.
"With a surplus of vacant office space nearby, and more coming forward in other nearby developments currently on site, the plans would also create greater diversity in the local market."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here