Property briefs: Euan Kellie; B8RE; Federation House & more
PLANS have been approved for a £3.5m apartment scheme in Bootle, Merseyside.
Euan Kellie Property solutions secured permission from Sefton Council for the 33-apartment scheme on behalf of Brickland.
The new development will ensure the sustainable and efficient re-use of a long-term vacant commercial site, in the Derby Park Conservation Area and opposite the Grade II Listed Christ Church.
The development is expected to start to site in the New Year.
Located at 240 Hawthorne Road on the junction with Oxford Street, the scheme, designed by Nicol Thomas Architects will be aimed towards the over 55s market and Brickland Limited is in discussions with a housing association to take on the long term management of the building.
Kelly Paddick of Euan Kellie Property Solutions said: “The plans for Hawthorne Road were unanimously approved on 2 September and it is very positive to see that this former commercial site which has vacant for a long time, being brought back to life to provide much needed housing in Bootle for the over 55s.”
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NORTH West industrial property specialist B8RE has recently completed on two large lettings on Boulevard Industry Park in Speke, Liverpool on behalf of international investment management group, Aberdeen Asset Management.
Existing tenant International Automotive Components Group has re-geared its lease on Unit 1a and taken a new lease on Unit 3 the former Johnson Controls building meaning they now occupy around 150,000sq ft on the estate over two units to service contracts with the Jaguar Land Rover factory next door.
Jonathan Thorne of B8RE who dealt with the transaction said: “This deal is further evidence of the positive effect that the growth of the JLR factory is having on the local economy both in terms of job creation and driving forward the property market.
“Demand for industrial buildings in Merseyside is at record levels driven by JLR’s supplier contracts, the growth of the Port of Liverpool and improvements in connectivity/transport links for logistics in the area.
“This increased demand coupled with limited supply of buildings is also leading to rental growth taking prime rents to over £5.25per sq ft.”
Darren Hill of CBRE acted for International Automotive Components Group and Phil Morley of DTZ acted for Johnson Controls on the disposal of their existing unit on the estate.
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FEDERATION House at the heart of Liverpool’s Canning Street Conservation area has been put on the market by £2.25m.
Downing has confirmed the appointment of Worthington Owen to market the building on Hope Street.
The building is on the market as a fully-let freehold, with floor space extending to 21,119sq ft over ground and five upper floors.
Current tenants include Liverpool Media Academy which occupies the upper floors of the building, with the two ground floor units let to Ego Restaurants Ltd and Moose Coffee.
Andrew Owen, from Worthington Owen, said: “Federation House is a rare example of high-quality bespoke office space in the heart of one of the Canning Street Conservation Area, one of Liverpool’s most vibrant and dynamic locations.
“Historically acknowledged as the heart of the city’s educational and cultural activity, the area offers a diverse range of restaurants, bars and leading cultural institutions, including The Philharmonic Hall and Everyman Theatre.”
John Clegg, head of property management at Downing, said: “Federation House is an iconic building in one of Liverpool’s most vibrant areas.
“Downing has overseen a number of renovation and refurbishment works and brought the building up to a high standard during our custody of the building and we’re happy to be passing it on to new owners, fully let and in great condition.”
The property lies within the city’s vibrant Knowledge/Cultural Quarter which is home to The University of Liverpool, LJMU, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.
The building’s distinctive faux-Aztec cladding was designed by William Mitchell, who also designed the Catholic cathedral’s sculpted bell-tower and intricate main doors.
Recent large scale developments have seen thousands of student bed spaces delivered, The Everyman theatre redeveloped and the Philharmonic Hall refurbished and extended.
The University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool Science Park and the city’s retail/commercial centre all lie within a ten minute walk of Federation House.
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A PLAN convert a historic tobacco factory in Liverpool into 154 homes has been given the green light.
Councillors on the City Council’s planning committee have rubber stamped the approval the demolition of the Ogden’s Imperial Tobacco works in Everton.
Under the scheme the Grade II-listed offices – featuring a clock and spire – will remain intact to be transformed into 19 apartments, while the remainder of the site will see the construction of 70 two bed, 53 three bed and 10 four bed homes.
The plan was put forward by Countryside Properties (UK) and Liverpool Mutual Homes.
Heritage groups raised concerns about the proposed demolition of the unlisted factory structures, which include a water tower and chimney.
Historic England agrees with the conversion of the offices, but the Victorian Society and the Council for British Archeology want other parts of the factory – believed to have been designed by the company architect Henry Hartley – retained.
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DEVELOPER Scarborough Group has announced that it has already sold more than 55% of homes at its new £30m Hat Box scheme in Manchester.
The development launched for sale in August which is typically a quiet month in residential property sales due to holidays. But the Hat Box bucked the industry trend and there was a queue of customers waiting to reserve their new home from 6am on the day of the sales launch.
Scarborough sales and marketing director Nicola Wallis said: “We had a fantastic sales launch and it was great to meet so many owner occupiers who were there to buy their new home. It’s also really encouraging to see such strong demand for the Hat Box in advance of completion, as the first occupiers will move in early next year.’
“The Hat Box will provide a really good mix of apartments that are typically larger than your average new home as we want to cater for a wider audience from first time buyers, families to empty nesters.
“We are also offering Help to Buy on a number of the apartments and this has proved very popular with our customers, as it helps people onto the property ladder with as little as a 5% deposit’.
The Hat Box is adjacent to Milliners Wharf, in the popular residential area of New Islington.
The apartments are being completed to a high specification and most will have a balcony or private terrace.
Externally, the Hat Box will also boast excellent facilities including a sky garden complete with oversized chess board and table tennis along with secure parking and bicycle stores.
The Hat Box is being developed by Scarborough and its JV partners Top Spring International Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed real estate developer in China, and Metro Holdings, a Singapore-listed property development and investment group. Together the group has formed a JV company called Fair Briar International.
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A FIVE-storey office block in the centre of Blackpool is in the running for a Buildings & Energy Efficiency Award.
Number One Bickerstaffe Square, part of Muse Developments’ Talbot Gateway regeneration scheme, is in the final in the None Domestic New-Build category. The result will be announced at ceremony on November 10 at Manchester’s Palace Hotel.
The Green Build Awards, the Buildings & Engery Efficiency Awards recognise and reward outstanding projects and innovative products that are promoting excellence in buildings across the UK.
Designed by architecture and building consultancy specialist AHR and built by Eric Wright Construction, the building has already received a number of accolades, including Best Corporate Workplace in the BCO Awards Northern Region and Energy Efficient Building Project of the Year at the 2014 Energy Awards.
It is also shortlisted in the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2015 Awards – one of just 47 projects to have made the cut.
Andy Barton, project manager at Muse Developments, said: “We continue to be overwhelmed with the success that this project has received and are delighted that its energy-efficiency credentials are once again being hailed as an example of good practice.
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MANCHESTER’S WHR Property Consultants has been retained by ambitious Manchester company Jump Nation Trampoline Parks to acquire several new sites as part of its national expansion strategy.
Jump Nation is the UK’s leading indoor trampolining park with its main site in Trafford Park and a further two currently under offer in Knowlsey and Walsall.
Simon Hampson, partner at WHR said: “Jump Nation has been incredibly successful since opening it’s first centre in Canmoor’s building in Trafford Park 18 months ago attracting an average 37,500 visitors per month. The firm is now looking to expand the business with requirements ranging between 20,000 and 50,000 sq ft in central/ south Birmingham, North Manchester and Greater London.”
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DOUGLAS House in Crewe has been sold to machine construction supplier Vogeslan in a deal worth £1.1m.
Acting on behalf of Fraylings Holdings, independent commercial property consultant Legat Owen Incorporating Lamont completed the disposal of the 20,000sq ft unit.
Located on Crewe Gate Industrial Estate, the unit was under lease to Food Tech UK, which provides technical services support to the food industry.
Legat Owen negotiated the surrender of the lease, agreed an appropriate dilapidations package whilst agreeing the forward sale of the building to Vogelsang, which had been looking to acquire its own freehold facility for almost two years.
The deal comes after Lamont Commercial in Nantwich merged with Chester-based Legat Owen last month.
Legat Owen director Matthew Pochin said: “The deal was transacted quickly and confidentially. This reflects the continued demand for quality industrial space in Cheshire, which is becoming a premium as supply contracts.”
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A PLANNING application for 31 new family homes in Burscough, West Lancashire has been approved.
Acting on behalf of Taylor Wimpey North West, HOW Planning successfully secured the permission for the development at Delph Drive.
HOW Planning senior plannin Matthew Robinson said: “Taylor Wimpey’s plans present a great opportunity to transform what is an under-utilised site.
“Their plans for this piece of land will ensure the site can be developed quickly, providing additional new housing which will complement the existing surroundings.”
The site occupies a sustainable location within easy walking distance to local shops and services and will include affordable housing.
