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Liverpool Municipal Building
to be turned into a 4 Star Hotel
LIVERPOOL City Council's former
administrative headquarters is to be turned into a 4 star hotel, by an
international property developer. Municipal Building, on Dale Street, was put on
the market last October as the City Council seeks to find ?90 million of savings
over the next 3 years.
A report going to the authority's Cabinet, on Friday, 3 February 2016, will be
recommending the sale to Fragrance Group Limited (FGL), a Singapore based
property company, be approved.
FGL has a portfolio of more than 80 projects
with overseas development properties including Premier Tower, a skyscraper in
Melbourne, Australia, but this will be its 1st acquisition in Europe.
The landmark Grade II listed City Centre
office, which has unique design features of the Italian and French renaissance,
is to be sold on a 250 year lease. The building, which opened in 1866, is
expected to be handed over in Spring. The Hotel, subject to planning permission,
would also include a restaurant.
Municipal Buildings, which has space for 1,000 staff, currently only has 640
employees accommodated there, due to a significant reduction in the Council's
head count in recent years.
The proposal is part of an accommodation
strategy which aims to deliver significant ongoing savings and generate funding
which can be reinvested in reducing the costs of the City's major infrastructure
projects programme.
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:
?Municipal Building has been a magnificent home for Liverpool City Council since
the 1860's, but we no longer have the staff numbers to justify retaining it. I'm
delighted we have a buyer of international repute who is looking to use
Liverpool to break into the UK and European hotel market. This will have a great
impact in terms of generating jobs and bosting out international appeal. We will
work with FGL to ensure that its future use protects the building's unique
architectural features, as we have done with the neighbouring Municipal Annexe
and Royal Insurance Building which have also recently been brought back into use
as 4 star hotels. The sale will bring in much needed money which we can reinvest
in reducing the costs of our capital infrastructure programme, as well as
delivering ongoing savings by lowering our overheads.?
The building is on 3 floors with an extensive basement, and covers 11,494 square
metres. Its appeal to the hotel market was boosted by its proximity to the
City's retail and cultural sectors and to the waterfront and cruise liner
operations. Council workers are being moved to other existing sites across the
City, such as Cunard Building, at the Pier Head, Premier Court on Hatton Garden,
Venture Place on Sir Thomas Street and Wavertree Customer Focus Centre on
Wavertree Road.
The One Stop Shop, based within Municipal
Building will be relocated to a self contained unit, in the refurbished St
John's Market, ensuring that customers can still access Council services in a
central location.
Consideration is also being given to putting
other public facing Government services in the facility to generate wider
savings. |
