£6m re-development of 1970s office building gets the green light

A prominent 1970s office building at the heart of Hull’s Old Town conservation area is set to be transformed into  apartments above an arcade of retail units as part of a £6m re-development scheme.

Planning officials at Hull City Council approved the proposals for King William House, which sits on the corner of Market Place and Liberty Lane

Construction company The Broadley Group are working alongside York-based property syndicate on the scheme and plan to start work in June.  The £6,scheme has been designed by Leeds based Brewster Bye Architects.

The work, which is due to be completed during a 43 week period, will see the first, second and third floors of the building transformed into 30 one and two-bedroom apartments, along with an arcade of nine retails units at ground level, fronting onto Market Place.

The building will also be given a major facelift that will see its glazed window panels completely re-clad.

Ian Campbell, managing director at Broadley said: “King William House was built in 1975 and today it’s a dated office block that has largely sat empty in recent years.  This work will see the building stripped back internally, repaired, refurbished and re-clad, to give it a new and sustainable use.  Once complete, it will become another landmark building in this important part of the city centre.”

Chris Austin, managing director at Brewster Bye Architects, added: “We’re delighted to secure planning permission for this development and its new façade, which will breathe new life into Hull’s Old Town.  The building sits directly opposite the historic Grade-I Listed Hull Minster, dating back to the 1300s, but its existing glazed and intentionally blank façade is far from sympathetic to either the Minster or the aims of the Old Town conservation area.

“We’ve specifically designed the new façade using high-quality materials and colour palettes.  The proposed large areas of glass will generate dynamic reflections of Hull Minster and transform this currently drab building to positively contribute to the street scene.  The façade along Liberty Lane will also be opened up with large glazed entrances to encourage more pedestrians to use this quiet side stree