Commercial site sold to college for £1.5m

Harris Lamb is also responsible for marketing Fortis Living’s former HQ in Malvern

A commercial building in Worcester has been sold to the Heart of Worcestershire College in a £1.5m deal.

The organisation has acquired an element of Fortis Park, a 15,000 sq ft speculatively-built development constructed on behalf of housing provider Fortis Living.

Neil Harris, director at Harris Lamb, agents on the sale, said: “We have been heavily involved in this project from the start, as we initially won a tender two years ago to identify a site for a new office for Fortis.

“Upon doing so, we oversaw a planning application to build both a new 15,000 sq ft headquarters and this commercial building, on the understanding that Fortis Living would then place it on the market to address the shortage of space within Worcestershire.

“Our building consultancy team has now project managed the construction of the building, and we have been in conversations with potential buyers for some time.

“The Heart of Worcestershire College has successfully secured the entire building for a figure in excess of £1.5m, and is seeking a change of planning consent to training and education. This is fantastic news for Worcester, bringing new jobs and training opportunities to the city.”

Harris Lamb is also responsible for marketing Fortis Living’s former HQ in Malvern.

Harris added: “This project is a prime example of how our in-house teams work closely together to ensure a seamless, swift process from start to finish on behalf of our clients.”

The Heart of Worcestershire College is the largest further education college in the county, and offers a range of vocational, technical and professional courses in specialist subject areas, as well as apprenticeships and higher education courses.

Richard Grounds, group commercial director for the organisation, said: “Fortis is delighted to have secured the sale to HoW College, as we share a commitment to improving training and life-chances for young people in Worcestershire.”

Nicki Williams, deputy CEO and vice principal corporate and resources for Heart of Worcester College, said: “A new state-of-the-art engineering centre supported by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (WLEP) is being developed to support increased demand from employers to tackle a shortage of engineering skills in the area.

“Investment in this engineering and plumbing centre at Heart of Worcestershire College demonstrates our commitment to improving skills and training for our learners and apprentices, which is central to boosting economic growth across the county. We are delighted to be located alongside Fortis and look forward to strengthening our links as we develop and launch our new centre in the autumn.”

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