It was once one of east Kent’s most uninviting buildings - its drab, austere exterior rivalled only by the trepidation that visitors would often feel on stepping inside.

Because the 1970s office block in Canterbury was for decades home to HM Revenue and Customs where various tax issues would be dealt with.

But now the “ugly duckling” building called Charter House in St George’s Place has been given a new lease of life and a welcome facelift with its transformation into 34 flats - including an £850,000 penthouse with a private rooftop garden.

The re-clad facade was recently revealed when developers removed the scaffolding from the four-storey building.

It has prompted John Walker, vice-chairman of the Canterbury Society, to compliment its new look.

“Given they hadn’t many options with a building like that, I think they’ve done a pretty good job of softening its appearance,” he said.

“I think most people would agree it’s a damn sight better than what was there before.

“And as demand for office accommodation has fallen with ‘work from home’, it makes sense to re-purpose it for residential accommodation.”

Now agents have begun marketing the flats, which start at £240,000 for a one-bed studio, and say there is keen interest.

The former tax office, where 105 staff were employed, was closed by HMRC in 2019 along with those in Chatham, Gravesend and Maidstone as the agency “modernised” its operations and centralised them in Croydon.

The building went on the market for £2.6 million and was bought by a private property investor in 2022 for redevelopment with planning permission approved for conversion from office to residential accommodation.

Initially, the plan was to create apartments for rent only, but that was changed to make them available for sale.

Work continues on the building but two flats have been fully finished and opened as showhomes for viewing.

But the two-bed penthouse, arranged over two floors, is still a work in progress.

Like three others on the third floor with rooftop gardens, it also boasts far-reaching views over the city, including the cathedral.

And rarely for new apartment developments in the city, they also come with two parking spaces each, while the other two-beds, which start at £300,000, have one.

Under government targets, a total of 1,216 new homes need to be built in the Canterbury district every year.

For the county as a whole, the figure is 13,646.