The more-than-100-year-old building, on Broad Street in Bungay, is thought to have been used for storage by American forces during the Second World War before later opening as a carpentry shop.
East Suffolk Council has now granted permission for the building to be converted into an art gallery.
Applicants Barbara and Brendon Bernard, who previously secured approval for new signage, will retain the building’s historic exterior, with the only change being the addition of new rooflights.
Planning documents reveal the building has had a variety of uses over the past 100 years.
It was more recently a photography studio producing commercial video work, and was later bought with the intention of turning it into a two-bedroom home.
That proposal was approved in June 2025, despite Bungay Town Council recommending refusal, but it never went ahead.
Mr and Ms Bernard purchased the site in October 2025 and now plan to use it as an art gallery.
The approved plans show a two-storey building split into two sections, with the larger space including a mezzanine for storage.
The smaller section will form part of the main gallery area, while a small kitchen and disabled toilet will be added to the rear.
The gallery also has permission to open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm.
Planning officers concluded the development would not harm the vitality of Bungay’s town centre, they said: “Given the small scale and proximity, it is not considered to result in harm to the viability of the town centre.
“The principle of the proposal is therefore supported.”
The plans received no objections from locals, and Bungay Town Council recommended East Suffolk Council approve the proposal.
