£6m revamp for Northern Quarter block

AN EDWARDIAN warehouse in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is undergoing a £6m speculative revamp to deliver 61,500 sq ft of grade A office space.

The Lever Street building, which runs between Stevenson Square and Dale Street, is home to the well-known Fred Aldous craft supplies shop.

Manchester-based landlord Philip J Davies Holdings wants to refurbish the five upper office floors, reintroducing the original lightwell. Due for completion in March 2014, the building will offer floor plates of 14,500 sq ft.

The area is thriving with growing creative firms but lacks high quality office space. Last year a report on the growth of the technology media and telecoms (TMT) sector in Manchester by Savills estimated that there will be demand for 140,000 sq ft of space from these companies over the next 10 years.

It pointed out there is no shortage of cheap space with around with 300,000 sq ft availabe below £15/sq ft, but the demand is for the right sort of space in the right location and that is likely to be met by refurbs – such as Sevendale House and 24 Lever Street across the road.

Mark Davies, Director of Philip J Davies Holdings, said: “Sevendale House is one of the Northern Quarter’s most prominent buildings and this extensive refurbishment will help to bring it back to its former glory and create an inspiring workspace within one of the city’s most popular locations.  

“We are enthused by the exciting businesses emerging from various sectors at this current time and want to create a product for those businesses looking for a quality working environment. Sevendale House will offer so much more than your typical refurbished office building.”

The work is being project managed by OBI Property which is also the leasing consultant. Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams is the architects.

Dominic Horridge, building consultancy partner at OBI, said: “This is a major project and confirms our confidence in this area of the city. We have already commenced work to re-instate the original lightwell – it will be stunning and create some of the most impressive office space in the city. The completion of Sevendale House could not come at a better time and with its excellent location, proximity to transport links and a highly competitive rental package, we’re expecting a lot of interest in this space.”