Property round-up: B8RE; Fourth Wall; SDL Property; Wirral Waters; PJ Livesey; REMM; MediaCity; Whitbread
Industrial property specialist, B8RE, has facilitated the sale and acquisition of two detached industrial assets in the North West worth approximately £2m.
The assets include a 10,324 sq ft detached unit in Runcorn leased to The Clearway Group on a 10-year lease, and a recently vacant 11,652 sq ft detached unit in Haydock.
B8RE has completed the sale of Runcorn on behalf of a private individual, selling to Tandem Investments, and completed the acquisition of Haydock on behalf of Tandem Investments, from a private individual.
Joe Sinclair, Associate Director at B8RE, said: “We are extremely satisfied to have completed both deals in quick succession. Both deals continue to highlight the strength of the private investor market, and we’re witnessing very strong demand in the market, with the main obstacle at the moment being the lack of investment supply.”
Chris Lloyd, director at Tandem Investments, said: Great to get these two acquisitions over the line. We have significant capital to deploy and the North West industrial market is one of our core markets, whether the assets are income producing or vacant.”
Neil Higson, of Wildbrook, advised the Vendor on Haydock.
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Fourth Wall team: Pete Hewison, Steve Hartley, Nik Noble, Kate Culbert, Anton Boters
Tech creative company, Fourth Wall, has moved into a new office in a landmark Liverpool city centre development – Vanilla Factory on Fleet Street.
The tech-led fan engagement firm has taken 2,295 sq ft of the building, which combines original Victorian features with smart 21st century architecture, and has capacity for approximately 50 people.
The move to Liverpool city centre represents a significant financial investment by Fourth Wall which wanted a space that offers staff something different.
The new site complements the company’s larger HQ in Bromborough, Wirral, which also comes with a number of warehouses for Fourth Wall’s fulfilment and distribution centre.
Steve Hartley, Creative Director at Fourth Wall, said: “The new city centre office is a superb collaborative space which supports our hybrid working set-up for staff. We’ve designed our new office with a real Fourth Wall feel. The mini bar and PlayStation 5 taps into our ethos of being a fun place to work, and the collaboration spaces are perfect for exploring future ideas as a team.”
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The Wheatsheaf pub, on Westfield Street in St Helens town centre, is to go up for auction this month, with a guide price of £110,000.
The end of terrace pub, with residential accommodation above, will appear in the next live streamed sale to be held by SDL Property Auctions, which is part of Eddisons, on October 23, along with more than 190 other properties and plots of land.
The 2,300 sq ft two-storey pub, which has a beer garden to the rear, includes a two-bedroom flat on its first floor. Auctioneers say the property, may be suitable for alternative uses, subject to a buyer gaining the necessary planning consent for redevelopment.
Andrew Parker, auctioneer and partner at SDL Property Auctions, said: “The Wheatsheaf is well located to benefit from the planned regeneration project that will see new homes, offices, retail and hotel space developed in St Helens town centre.
“Westfield Street is already seeing moves from investors, with the iconic Beecham building redeveloped as luxury apartments, and the area is included in the education and entertainment phase of the council’s masterplan. Westfield Street is evolving and as a result the former Wheatsheaf pub will doubtless be a sound investment for the winning bidder at our auction.”
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Millers Quay
The Copper Mill and Steam Yard apartment blocks at the Wirral Waters waterside residential development, Millers Quay, have reached 80% capacity, just 10 weeks after completion.
With extensive views across the water, the first 150 highly sustainable one- and two-bedroom apartments within the £130m residential scheme have attracted a record number of enquiries and are expected to reach full capacity by Christmas.
Since the completion of Copper Mill and Steam Yard in July, letting agent, JLL, has received more than 2,000 enquiries and 800 requests to view, largely from the local areas across Liverpool and Wirral.
With the next 350 apartments, located within the final four blocks of Millers Quay – Soda Factory, Salt House, Glaze Works and Lime Studio – expected to complete early in 2025, the high number of enquiries and viewings is expected to continue into the New Year.
Richard Mawdsley, Director of Development for Wirral Waters, said: “Ever since construction began at Millers Quay, it has attracted a great deal of interest, because there is nothing else like it on the Wirral. It’s fantastic to see such high levels of interest from the local area and to see residents moving in and this new community starting to grow.”
John Coddington, Head of Residential for JLL Property & Asset Management, said: “This rapid lease-up is testament to the quality of the development by Peel Waters as well as the hard work of our team and the successful lease-up strategy. We are looking forward to welcoming more residents to Millers Quay and releasing phase 2 shortly.”
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Specialist property developer, PJ Livesey, has revealed new images of the stunning conversion of the Library at the former King’s School on Cumberland Road, Macclesfield.
The Grade II-listed building, built in 1856, is currently being restored into six luxury four-bedroom homes.
The images showcase the centrepiece of this local icon, The Alexander – a £1m four-bedroom property boasting a grand Gothic facade, arranged over two floors with large feature windows and vaulted ceilings with original wooden beams.
The site is steeped in history, with King’s School being one of the oldest schools in the country, tracing its roots back to 1502.
When completed, King’s Gate will feature 81 converted and newly built eco-friendly homes. The first phase of newly built homes was completed in late 2023, with residents moving into the development by the end of the year.
Georgina Lynch, Managing Director of PJ Livesey, said: “The Library is a prime example of how restoring historic buildings can create breathtaking, unrivalled homes.”
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Phill Etchells
Specialist property marketing agency, Real Estate Marketing Media (REMM), has secured three new client briefs.
The Altrincham-based firm has been tasked with providing a suite of marketing services for brands operating in the built environment, including an ESG consultancy and a Proptech firm.
REMM has begun overseeing the PR office for estate and lettings agency, Property Sense.
It is also assisting Proptech specialists Symple in its mission to support landlords and estate agencies with its pioneering technology.
Similarly, environmental consultancy, E3P, has tasked the REMM team with profiling its expansion into the Midlands through a strategic PR and content brief.
Phill Etchells, Associate Director at REMM, said: “It’s an exciting time for the agency, and fantastic that so many new clients have put their trust in us to deliver their various communications briefs. Our team is excited to yield some great results for them.”
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Oxygen Trampoline Park Reading
Oxygen Activeplay is opening its 10th indoor activity park next February. Located at Quayside MediaCity, Oxygen at MediaCity will sit above food hall Kargo MKT, taking over the 26,400 sq ft former site of I’m a Celebrity Jungle Challenge.
Following a £2.5m investment, the new park will centre around more than 30 trampolines, also featuring a mega-air bag and Oxygen’s signature Excite Tunnel, an illuminated, sensory experience, designed to get jumpers ready and raring to play.
Oxygen at MediaCity will also be home to a high ropes course and a ‘Rollglider’ aerial ride which will take guests flying over the park, with more activities to be revealed in the coming weeks.
The new park is creating more than 50 jobs, including party hosts, bouncers and members of the management and food and beverage teams, with recruitment already under way.
The park will also include a new food and beverage offer. The café, serving drinks, snacks and meals, will overlook the park, giving parents the chance to relax, while still keeping a watchful eye over children that are playing. And Oxygen at MediaCity will house dedicated party rooms and areas, complete with personalised chairs for the birthday child.
Stephen Wilson, Oxygen Activeplay CEO, said: “With Oxygen at MediaCity being our 10th park, we knew we had to do something really special, so we have some really big and exciting plans.”
Ben Hey, Asset Director at Peel Retail & Leisure, said: “We’re really pleased to be welcoming Oxygen to Quayside MediaCity. There’s been a concerted effort over the past 12 months to start bringing more experiential and leisure offerings into the centre as part of the 2030 vision for MediaCity and Oxygen fits the bill perfectly.”
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Ground breaking at Rochdale Road
Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, has begun construction of its latest hotel development in Manchester at Rochdale Road to the north of the city centre.
GMI Construction Group, which Whitbread appointed as principal contractor to the project in July, will lead the delivery of the 229-bedroom 10-storey Premier Inn. The company marked the start of construction with a ground breaking event on-site.
Whitbread acquired the consented Rochdale Road development site from Premcor in February 2024, as part of its ongoing strategy of investing in strategic locations where its hotel brands are under-represented.
Will Steward, Project and Programme Manager for Whitbread, said: “Manchester is a hot spot for Whitbread’s development team as we expand our hotel network in the places we want to grow. The Rochdale Road Premier Inn will bring our very best product to the north of the Northern Quarter – an area of the city where we are not heavily represented and where we know our customers want Premier Inn to be.”
When it opens its doors, the Premier Inn hotel at Rochdale Road will be one of Whitbread’s largest hotels in Manchester and adds to a portfolio of more than 20 locations across the city.
Anthony Judge, Regional director for GMI Construction, said: “This latest development in the iconic Northern Quarter of Manchester will be a striking new addition to the skyline with its remarkable brickwork façade.”
