Property round-up: Pugh; OHG; Anfield; Renaker; Great Places; Rula Developments; Churchill Living; Kabannas; Eda; Plus Dane
The former Colne Road Library building in Burnley is to go up for sale by auction this month.
The landmark, stone-built property, was closed by Lancashire County Council as a library in 2008 and handed over for use by community groups. Now the building will appear in the next online property auction to be held by auction house Pugh, part of Eddisons, on October 16, with a guide price of £150,000.
Situated on busy Colne Road on the outskirts of Burnley town centre, auctioneers say the 3,000 sq ft, two-storey building is in “good condition internally,” although does require some “minor repair works”.
The building was constructed in 1924 as the town’s first municipal library and was followed six years later by the opening of Burnley Central Library.
Ed Feather, from Pugh, said: “The former library is in a busy area with a mix of residential neighbourhoods, shops and other amenities. It’s a really historic building and part of the town’s municipal heritage so it would be great to see it get a new lease of life and become an asset to the community once again, as well as generating much needed funds for Lancashire County Council.”
He added: “Subject to a buyer gaining the relevant planning consent, there are a range of potential future uses that this building would lend itself to, including residential development. We are excited to see who buys it – and what the next chapter will hold for the former library.”
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One Victoria
One Heritage Group (OHG), the Manchester-based residential developer has announced a restructuring plan, including a rebrand.
OHG is rebranding as Zentra Group, which it said better reflects its renewed strategic focus and its independence from the One Heritage brand.
This new identity gives the company greater flexibility to reshape its image in the UK property market, focusing on the development of homes and apartments.
CEO, Jason Upton, said: “The decision to rebrand as Zentra stems from a desire to establish a unique identity that resonates with the company’s new vision. The name Zentra was chosen to embody the values of balance, harmony, and focus, with Zen symbolising a sense of calm and mindful approach to property development.”
Key developments by the company include One Victoria in Manchester, Bank Street, Sheffield, Lincoln House, Bolton, St Petersgate, Stockport, and Victoria Road, Eccleshill.
Looking ahead, Zentra will focus on two core residential sectors by delivering apartments under its new Living brand and houses under its new Homes brand while continuing to provide development management and property management and services.
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CGI of Community regeneration around Anfield stadium
A £5m scheme to revamp a key part of the Anfield community, creating a greener and safer experience for residents and visitors, is to be discussed next week.
A report to Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet next Tuesday (October 8) is recommending the main road (Walton Breck Road) – and connecting streets – including those leading to Liverpool FC’s stadium, be upgraded.
The council has also set out a meanwhile use plan for Anfield Square – which sits in the shadow of the stadium – that maximises both employment and community benefits, with discussions currently taking place with Liverpool FC and other prospective local operators to help shape the long term future of the brownfield site.
The report also highlights plans for a number of key priority sites, across Anfield, including Hodder Street and former Four Oaks school site, the southern side of Walton Breck Road and Oakfield Road, and Kemp Avenue which have been identified for potential residential and retail development.
These schemes represent the latest phase in a £300m investment programme in the Anfield area, which first began in 2014.
Over the past decade this has led to the creation of more than 600 new and 500 refurbished homes, a revitalised Stanley Park, environmental street works and upgrades to the stadium itself, as well as the recent and hugely successful Stanley Park market.
For the new high street scheme, which was subject to public consultation earlier in the year, the council is working in partnership with AECOM whose brief has been to design a visually more appealing and healthier public street scene with a priority to improve pedestrian movement and safety.
The Cabinet report is recommending that AECOM enter a detailed design phase for the programme of works, with a view that the highway elements begin in 2025.
A key proposal is a suggested reduction in the speed limit on Walton Breck Road from 30mph to 20mph, between the junctions of Blessington Road and Kemp Avenue, to improve safety for pedestrians.
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Crown Street Primary School, the first new primary school to be built in Manchester city centre in almost 20 years, has officially opened.
Built by Manchester property developer, Renaker, the school is located between Crown Street and The Blade at Renaker’s New Jackson neighbourhood, a skyscraper district at the city’s southern gateway.
The school is an inclusive, non-selective, non-denominational one-form entry school. Earlier last month it opened its doors to its first cohort of pupils, with a 24-place Pre-School class and a 30-place Reception class. Able to accommodate 210 children and 26 nursery places, the school will also provide an on-site day care setting for children below the age of three.
Over the coming years the school will expand in size with an annual September intake, while current pupils will move through the school until it has pupils in each year group.
The Laurus Trust, a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) providing exceptional academic education to its family of schools across Stockport, Manchester, Tameside and Cheshire East, has been appointed by Manchester City Council in agreement with the Department of Education (DfE) to run the school. The senior leadership team comprises Head of School Helenya Thomson and Director of Primary (Laurus Trust), Lisa Wooley.
With a design that mirrors schools found in London and New York, the four storey ‘vertical school’ is constructed from a buff brick with bronze coloured window framing and features a rooftop play deck to the third floor, a first in Manchester since the early 1900’s.
Daren Whitaker, Chairman at Renaker, said: “We are thrilled to see the first pupils walk through the doors at Crown Street Primary School and proud to be able to deliver much needed infrastructure for residents at New Jackson and the wider local community.”
Head of School, Heleyna Thompson, said: “Inspired by our setting amid the tallest buildings in the city, our vision for the school is to provide education on another level, where possibilities are endless and where all pupils can thrive regardless of their background or circumstance.”
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The planned development
Great Places Housing Group’s proposals for the UK’s ‘first of a kind’ majority LGBTQ+ care scheme on the site of the former Spire Hospital on Russell Road, Whalley Range have been approved by Manchester City Council’s planning meeting. The brownfield site has remained vacant since the hospital was demolished in September 2019.
Wigan-born actor, SIr Ian McKellen, LGBT Foundation patron and committed supporter of the Pride in Ageing Programme, who visited the Russell Road site earlier this year, said: “It’s wonderful to see Manchester leading the way yet again.
“Our community deserves to be able to age in a safe and welcoming environment where we are accepted for who we are, and Russell Road will do just that.”
The plans have been co-produced in partnership with the Russell Road Community Steering Group, Manchester City Council, and LGBT Foundation.
The development will deliver 80 one- and two-bedroom apartments for older people within a high-quality sustainable building offering a safe and welcoming feel and inviting presence while designed to respect the surrounding conservation area. The low-carbon scheme will include shared communal facilities including lounges, treatment rooms and landscaped gardens and will deliver an overall net gain of trees on the site.
The site will also include a neighbouring development of shared ownership homes, with 40 homes in a mix of one- and two-bed apartments.
The development will be funded by Great Places, complemented by grant funding from Homes England and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Brownfield Housing Fund. The scheme is intended to be constructed by Rowlinson Constructions and the wider design team includes Triangle Architects and Mosaic Town Planning. Work on the new site will start later this year.
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From left: Richard Burns (Rula Devs) Simon Baker (Ellenby Construction), Anthony Clitheroe (Rula Devs)
Rula Developments has begun works on site to deliver a new 1,800 sq ft Drive Thru unit for Costa Coffee at Winsford Gateway, the 30-acre strategic development and major employment site in Cheshire.
North West-based Ellenby Construction has been appointed the main contractor to deliver the unit with completion expected by Spring 2025.
The new Costa Coffee Drive Thru features a modern design with comfortable indoor and outdoor seating.
Rula recently secured planning consent after agreeing on a new 15-year lease with Costa Coffee to occupy the roadside plot next to the Kay Group petrol filling station, Subway, Greggs and Londis. The last two remaining roadside/retail plots are also under offer with convenience operators.
Winsford Gateway is located at the north entrance to the wider 380-acre Winsford Industrial Estate which is home to more than 150 businesses employing more than 4,000 people.
The Estate benefits from excellent transport links, with the M6 motorway just five miles away and major A roads linking the estate with Merseyside, Chester, and North Wales.
Rula has launched new opportunities comprising nearly 350,000 sq ft of industrial, logistics and roadside/retail accommodation at Winsford Gateway. Plots now available include a significant 225,000 sq ft industrial and logistics HQ building on an independent 12.6-acre site, and two design and build units offering 75,508 sq ft and 27,728 sq ft of industrial space.
Additionally, Rula has released a plot with the potential for six new trade counter units ranging from 1,684 to 3,058 sq ft.
Anthony Clitheroe, Development Director at Rula Developments said: “This will provide even more choice of amenities to the local workforce, as well as passing commuters from the motorway network.
“Winsford Gateway is now well placed to meet the fast-growing demand for well-located logistics space and, with infrastructure already in place, we have the benefit of being able to start construction on site immediately with fast-track delivery options.”
Whitestone Retail and Leisure is acting for Costa Coffee on the transaction.
Legat Owen Chartered Surveyors and CBRE are appointed to market Winsford Gateway.
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Churchill Living welcomed celebrity guest, former TV newsreader, Angela Rippon, to the Grand Opening of its 200th development, Coronation Lodge in West Kirby, last month.
Churchill’s co-founders, Spencer and Clinton McCarthy, joined Angela, along with apartment owners, guests and other senior members of the Churchill team, to mark this major milestone for the company.
The new development offers a collection of one- and two-bedroom apartments designed exclusively for the over-60s.
Angela Rippon said: “It was a privilege to be here for the opening of Coronation Lodge. I enjoyed meeting the people who are already calling it home, and seeing the beautiful apartments and strong sense of community on offer here.”
Churchill’s chairman and CEO, Spencer J McCarthy, said: “I’m very proud that this is the 200th development we have built under the Churchill name, a fantastic milestone for the business.”
Coronation Lodge is surrounded by a marina, galleries and museums. The area itself has a Victorian promenade, flanked by the West Kirby Marine Lake that allows boats to sail even at low tide.
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Kabannas Liverpool new social space
Hybrid hotel brand, Kabannas, has relaunched its 50-room Liverpool site with a new look and feel, following an extensive refurbishment.
In addition to offering affordable accommodation in Liverpool’s bustling Cavern Quarter, guests can now enjoy a full social experience with interactive drinks, an enhanced food menu and a retro games room with karaoke.
The venue’s refurbishment has seen the launch of its new drink and dining area ‘Kabin Liverpool’, which features a self-pour wall from Pour My Beer, offering draught beer, cider and organic cocktails, and street food from renowned Asian eatery, Little Bao Boy.
Kabannas has teamed up with UK growth platform for original food brands and experiences, Sessions, whose aim is to bring non-stop originality to kitchens, with one of its most popular clients being Little Bao Boys.
Downstairs, the venue boasts a large games and event space complete with a classic bar designed by Liverpool-based company, Wroot Design, retro arcade games, a smart darts lane, plus a dedicated karaoke room available for private hire.
General Manager of Kabannas and Kabin Liverpool, Mark Bayley, said: “As part of the extensive refurbishment of our hotel, we’re thrilled to introduce our new bar and breathe new life into this historic building for visitors and locals to enjoy.”
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Eda
Salford Quays’ highest residential tower, Eda, is now 95% let, a significant milestone for the Build-to-Rent (BTR) development by Cole Waterhouse and Taurus Investment Holdings.
Designed by Chapman Taylor architects, the 250,640 sq ft residential development comprises 290 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Delivered by Domis Construction, Eda is Cole Waterhouse and Taurus’s first joint BTR scheme in the UK. The development is Salford’s highest rated on independent review platform, HomeViews, with a score of 4.99 out of five to date.
Residents at the pet-friendly Eda enjoy two landscaped terrace gardens and the community also benefits from The Fitness Hub, a fully equipped gym and wellness studio, a co-working space, lounges, a cinema room, plus bookable private dining and entertaining facilities. Everyone is supported by a dedicated, 24/7 on-site concierge and management team.
Nick Jacobs, managing director of Taurus UK, said: “It’s great to see Eda almost fully let just 12 months after we opened. The development is a real benchmark for BTR living.”
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Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, joined Plus Dane and partners at the former Johnson’s Cleaners headquarters site in Bootle to mark the start of work on more than 100 new homes.
Plus Dane Housing acquired the former Johnson’s Cleaners site on Stanley Road earlier this year and secured planning permission to build a mix of family homes and apartments. United Living New Homes, a subsidiary of United Living Group, will deliver the £22m scheme.
Work has now started on demolishing the former headquarters building on the corner of the site. As soon as the site is clear, the first phase of construction of 67 homes will start. There will be 104 homes on the site in total, 20 shared ownership apartments, and 84 homes for social rent.
The five-acre site has a long history. Johnson’s Cleaners was one of the largest dyeing and dry-cleaning operations in the world. It was built close to Liverpool docks to clean the huge drapes from the first-class lounges of the city’s transatlantic liners.
Steve Rotheram said: “This development will breathe new life into a site that has historical significance, while addressing the urgent need for affordable housing in our region.”
Ian Reed, Chief Executive of Plus Dane, said: “We are pleased to be breaking ground on the Johnsons site in Bootle. I am grateful for the support from Sefton Council, and grant funding from Homes England and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which will help us deliver 104 much needed homes for the area. It is now over to our colleagues at United Living, to build the homes for us.”
Kevin Morris, Operations Director, United Living New Homes, said: “With a track record for delivering high quality residential schemes across the UK, we look forward to delivering affordable new homes that will provide a welcome housing boost to the local community.”
