Britannia agrees to sell London Road Fire Station
THE derelict London Road Fire Station opposite Piccadilly Station in Manchester has been put up for sale by owner Britannia Hotels.
The Grade II listed building has come to the market for the first time and follows a protracted battle with Manchester City Council over the future of the iconic building near Piccadilly station.
In September the council used the threat of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to encourage Hale-based Britannia to agree to a legally binding agreement to implement an existing planning consent for a 227-bed hotel, and share the cost of a structural survey.
Last month the council said it would pursue a CPO after failing to receive a “satisfactory response” from Britannia, but said it was still open to working with the hotel group.
But now specialist leisure and hospitality property adviser Christie & Co has been instructed to sell the property.
Designed in an Edwardian Baroque style by Woodhouse, Willoughby and Langham in red brick and terracotta, the building was completed in 1906, operating for some 80 years in a variety of civil guises prior to its closure and subsequent sale in 1986.
It now has planning and listed building consent for the conversion and extension of the property to form an upscale 227 bedroom hotel and associated facilities extending to over 13,000 sq m including restaurants, bar facilities and function spaces.
The Piccadilly area of Manchester is the subject of ambitious regeneration plans as part of the HS2 Piccadilly strategic regeneration framework.
Proposals, together with those for the neighbouring Mayfield area, could see the integration of the Piccadilly and HS2 stations as well as significant additional investment and development including hospitality uses, 4,500 new homes, 625,000 sq m of commercial office space, 100,000 sq m of retail space and the creation of high quality public spaces and cultural/community use buildings.
A spokesperson for Britannia Hotels said: “The dynamics of the UK’s hotel market have improved significantly since 2009 and Manchester’s key trading characteristics have returned strongly. Following a number of successful development transactions in the city and the high profile single asset sale of the Lowry for example, we feel the time is now appropriate to conduct an open and transparent sales process.”
A Manchester City Council spokesman said: “The regeneration of the Piccadilly area is at a pivotal stage and the re-use of the London Road Fire Station as a hotel will improve the appearance of the wider area, create new jobs and maximise the opportunities created through HS2.
“The council supports the sale of this important landmark building.”
The sale is being jointly handled by Jeremy Jones, Head of Hotels Brokerage at Christie + Co alongside his colleague, Jon Patrick, Christie + Co’s Head of Leisure & Development.
