Planning application for £6m office block at Wirral Waters
Wirral Waters developer Peel Land and Property has submitted a planning application for the building of a £6m office block.
The three-storey Tower Road development will be aimed at Wirral’s small business community.
The ground floor will include an incubator facility for the region’s entrepreneurial sector, while the two upper floors will feature grade A standard office accommodation throughout six suites.
It will offer tenants waterside views across the East Float Dock and across to Liverpool’s skyline and will help to support an emerging demand for quality work space among the region’s small business sector.
Ian Steele, director of GVA, commercial agents for Wirral Waters, said there is a clear need for quality new build space:
He said: “There is demand for good quality offices and managed work space in Wirral and GVA are very pleased to be bringing forward the first new commercial development opportunities at Wirral Waters.”
The building has been designed by architects, Glenn Howells, who also designed the £10.5m Wirral Metropolitan College building next door. This was the first major development on Wirral Waters and was recognised with a number of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) architectural awards.
Glenn Howells worked with Wirral Met College students on the campus design, and Richard Mawdsley, development director at Peel, revealed that Peel Land and Property intends to offer work experience to students on the Tower Road office project.
He said: “We are targeting organisations looking for 3,000-4,000 sq ft suites. If all goes to plan with grants and planning, we anticipate a start on site in the Autumn of 2018 and should reach completion towards the end of 2019.”
The project is supported by a grant from Liverpool City Region’s Single Investment Fund and has the backing of Wirral Council.
Leader of Wirral Council Cllr Phil Davies said: “More news of large scale developments at Wirral Waters is extremely welcome.
“Building new homes, creating jobs and improving our local communities and neighbourhoods lies at the very heart of our regeneration and economic growth plans.
“Coming so soon after major housing developments have been announced, and alongside our own plans with Wirral Growth Company, it is an exciting time for our borough.”
Because Wirral Waters is part of the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone, the local authority can retain 100% of business rates from tenants, but on the proviso that the rates are then reinvested back into the Enterprise Zone to create jobs, rates and homes.
This is innovative but necessary as it creates a recyclable fund which will benefit the area.
Wirral Waters comprises more than 500 acres of former Birkenhead docklands which Peel aims to transform into an internationally recognisable destination where innovation, sustainability and industry thrive.
The developer’s 30-year strategy focuses on enabling global companies to trade alongside businesses from the Wirral and Liverpool, creating more than 20,000 permanent new jobs.
