Apartments plans for ex-Merseytravel HQ
COUNCIL officers in Liverpool are recommending that Middle England Developments’ plans to turn the former Merseytravel HQ into serviced apartments are given the green light.
The firm is planning to convert Merseytravel’s old offices into 51 serviced apartments, which would then be sold off to investors.
The building would contain three one-bed, 43 two-bed and five three-bed serviced apartments as well as a reception/concierge area, a restaurant and a bar.
Planning officers have said that Middle England’s plans “will make efficient and sensitive reuse of a Grade II-listed building and make a valuable contribution to this part of the city centre”.
“It will contribute towards a sustainable mix of uses, in a highly accessible location,” the council’s officers said in a report to the committee.
The report shows that one objection to the scheme was received from a nearby resident, who was concerned that it would “create adverse noise and nuisance on adjacent street scenes”.
However, it was pointed out that although Merseytravel has only just completed its move to Neptune Developments’ Mann Island scheme, the building had been up for sale for 12 months and Middle England was “the first potential purchaser to show any genuine interest”.
Middle England Developments is currently in the process of completing a conversion of the former Fire Station on the opposite side of Hatton Gardens, where it has built 96 student beds on upper floors, with a coffee shop and restaurant on lower floors.
