Co-working operator opens first North West site in Liverpool

In the latest expansion of the sector in Liverpool, Clockwise will open a 32,000 sq ft co-working space in the recently-refurbished Edward Pavilion at Royal Albert Dock as its third site in the UK.

Clockwise is run by the building’s owner Castleforge, which has undertaken a comprehensive refurbishment of the grade one-listed building over the past 12 months.

Facilities on offer at the co-working space include super-fast broadband, conference facilities and meeting rooms, while Liverpool-based business Thoughtfully will operate the building’s café.

Following the completion of the refurbishment, there is also a further 33,000 sq ft available; Worthington Owen is the retained agent, and there is understood to be strong interest in the remaining space.

Clockwise operates two other serviced offices in buildings owned by Castleforge in Glasgow and Belfast; the Royal Albert Dock site is its first in England.

The move is the latest in an expansion of the co-working sector in Liverpool, after Avenue HQ took 23,000 sq ft at No4 St Paul’s Square as its second site in the city, following a similar operation at Mann Island.

The additional 33,000 sq ft coming available will add to Liverpool’s tightening supply of office space, following a record year for take-up in 2018; according to figures from CBRE released earlier this year, of the 716,000 sq ft available in the city, only 336,000 sq ft is ready for immediate occupation, and none of this is Grade A, the highest office specification.

Rachael Pittaway of Castleforge Partners said: “Edward Pavilion is a completely unique product in Liverpool, it is rare to find a building where ‘old’ meets ‘new’ like it does here, offering such a high level of quality.

“We have extensively overhauled the building with state-of-the-art facilities and brand-new air-conditioning systems all while working hard to preserve the building’s originality and celebrate the history of its original cast iron columns, Victorian brickwork and vaulted ceilings.

“We are very excited to welcome Clockwise and can’t wait to watch Edward Pavilion evolve with businesses of all sizes as they scale from two, twenty or more employees.”