Cert to convert Liverpool office into homes
Having been unable to let it as workspace, the developer is planning to reposition Centric House as a residential scheme, proposing its conversion into 45 apartments.
Cert Property has submitted a planning application to Liverpool City Council seeking permission to convert the vacant office into a mix of one- and two-bedroom properties.
Designed by Falconer Chester Hall, the scheme would see all four floors of the building redeveloped.
Since Cert acquired Centric House for £3.3m in 2018, the building has never achieved higher than 15% occupancy, according to a planning statement by Enabl.
“All the market data shows that demand for residential property in Liverpool city centre continues to rise, with rents rising significantly over the course of 2022 and are expected to continue to rise,” said Cert managing director Howard Lord.
“With this context, we believe the future of the building best lies in serving this increasing residential demand within Liverpool.”
The scheme would be Cert’s first residential development in the city. The company bought Elevator Studios, let to creative start-ups, in 2020.
Cert also owns the former Bibby Line HQ in the Ropewalks area of the city. Following its redevelopment into 50,000 sq ft of modern office space, the building, known as Duke & Parr is fully let to video game developer Firesprite.
In addition to acting as the planning consultant, Enabl provided cost consultancy services on the project.
To learn more about the scheme, search for planning reference number 22F/3516 on Liverpool City Council’s planning portal.
No problem with this conversion but there is something very wrong with the Liverpool office market as business seems to turning their back on the city.
There needs to be a better product on offer but people like Peel will not build speculatively so can the city council please note re Pall Mall.
By Anonymous
I thought there was a shortage of office space in Liverpool? Why are they converting this? Surely we need more not less?
By Anonymous
Can PNW at least pretend to root for Liverpool?
“Having been unable to let it as workspace”?
Have you examined the evidence of that then?
Our city has been plagued for over a decade by suggestions such as this. Even some of the most respected names in the industry have had their guff exposed as guff (once in an actual planning meeting, not that it mattered to the councillors).
Fast money to be made for no effort and little investment does not mean that effort and investment wouldn’t result in commercial letting. Actually.
By Jeff
Hi Jeff. From the story: “the building has never achieved higher than 15% occupancy, according to a planning statement by Enabl.” We want the entire region to do well. We’re not rooting against any city or community. But we are reporting the facts as they are presented to us. If you would like to discuss this further, feel free to email me at julia@placenorthwest.co.uk. – J
By Julia Hatmaker
I wouldn’t want to live in these buildings due to the lack of balconies
By Balcony warrior
Can place please ask liverpool what’s happening with pall mall offices and also push them on kings dock and the cruise liner …the silence on any significant schemes is deafening!
By George
There are Juliette balconies if that satisfies your need balcony warrior
By Anonymous
Balcony Obsessive, no one is forcing anyone to live in flats without balconies it`s a choice people make, and a choice developers/architects make.
The main thing for Liverpool is to actually get people building as nothing is happening at the moment or in the forseeable future, it looks like the city is not just stagnating but in decline.
By Anonymous
Oh come on Jeff, one minute it’s Manchester’s fault, now it’s PNW not rooting for the city, next you’ll be saying it’s Liverpool city council. What? Oh that’s been done? Fair enough.
By Anonymous
Interesting when we know of 2 developers in Liverpool who have effectively hit full occupancy in the past 2 quarters
By J
It is clearly outlined in the planning statement the difficulties the building owner have had in letting the space, despite significant investment into the building and also by the previous owners, Barclays who were unable to let it for 10 years and more. Moorfields unfortunately is not a desirable location for office space, note the conversion of the former building opposite Centric House into apartments which have been successful.
By Anonymous
Hard to believe Liverpool can’t attract tenants for an office building so we have to convert them to flats. Presumably they are all going to Manchester or London then ?What are the council doing to stop this continuing too happen?
By Jack
The Moorfields location here is one of the great mysteries of Liverpool city centre, in that there are swathes of vacant land next to an underground commuter station serving two lines ,yet nobody wants to develop it even though it`s in the business district. Liverpool City Council does not seem to have any overall plan for this land or speaking to any developer to achieve this, even though there is a councillor in charge of development and housing.
There is a similar piece of land behind the Pig and Whistle pub, vacant for half a century, prime land, so what are the forces behind this, does the city council care?
By Anonymous
Having no balcony isn’t a choice of the tenant – they’re restricted to what’s available on the market. The more that is developed without balconies, the more that choice diminishes. Outdoor space should be a given, really.
By The great outdoors