A Liverpool charity is selling its city centre art deco office building with a price tag of £3m – £1.8m less than it paid for it in 2008. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS) is selling its city centre art deco headquarters for £3m.

LCVS, which dates back to 1909 and provides support, advice and training to other charities, moved into the building from its previous home in Castle Street in 2008. It paid £4.8m for the site which was previously occupied by gaming group Stanley Leisure.

Located on the corner of Dale Street and Fontenoy Street, the 38,000 sq ft office building was built in the 1930s and was designed by architect William P Horsburgh. It originally housed the Blackburn Assurance Company.

Agents at Fisher German have been instructed to find a buyer for the property which generates £198,000 a year in rent and has an estimated rental value of £445,000.

Now known as 151 Dale Street, just 7,000 sq ft is occupied by LCVS and is less than half full. It offers the potential for vacant possession in the short term.

Office accommodation comprises office suites arranged over basement, ground and four upper floors, served by passenger lifts and a central stairwell. Floor plates are configured as a mix of open-plan and cellular offices.

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In its sales literature, Fisher German said: “Externally, the building is an attractive property with a distinguished presence on Dale Street, built with similar materials to the nearby Mersey Tunnel entrance.

“Internally, the building includes a stunning full-height cylindrical atrium with stained glass windows, a glazed dome to the roof and a feature spiral staircase throughout, connecting the two principal wings configured in an ‘L’ shape.”