12 Hanover Street, which provides 32,756 sq ft of office space, is being sold by housing association Onward Homes which is moving to a new headquarters in the city. Tony McDonough reports
Property agents are seeking a buyer for a Grade II-listed five-storey office building in Liverpool city centre with £4m price tag.
12 Hanover Street, which provides 32,756 sq ft of accommodation, is being sold by Onward Homes, one of he biggest housing associations in the North West. Onward is relocating its headquarters to the Watson Building on Renshaw Street, a 20,000 sq ft development.
Sitting at the junction of Hanover Street and Duke Street, immediately opposite the entrance to the John Lewis entrance to Liverpool One, 12 Hanover Street was designed by renowned Liverpool architect Edmund Kirby and constructed in 1889 for ship owners and merchants Ellis & Co using a distinctive red brick and terracotta.
It was acquired by Liverpool Housing Trust in the early 1990s and refurbished to provide modern office space but with many of the original features retained such as the bare brick face walls, exposed steel columns and vaulted ceilings.
LHT merged with five other housing associations in 2011 and the new organisation was rebranded in 2018 as Onward Homes which continued to occupy the building as its head office.
Andrew Owen of Worthington Owen, which has been instructed to find a buyer for the building, said: “This is an incredible building in a great part of the city and we expect to receive lots of interest not only from investors and possibly even owner occupiers seeking to retain the building as an office but also developers who see its potential for alternative use.”
Worthington Owen is instructed to seek offers in excess of £4m for the freehold interest in the building, which also includes 13 car parking spaces. Onward will use the proceeds of the sale to reinvest in existing and new homes and communities.
Bronwen Rapley, chief executive of Onward Homes, added: “LHT committed to 12 Hanover Street at a time when there was very little else being developed in this area of the city centre. We have played our part in this regeneration and look forward to witnessing the next stage in the journey of what can only be described as a stunning statement building.
“True to our commitment to create positive spaces, we remain very much committed to Liverpool. The new office is located a short distance from major transport hubs and is part of our commitment to encourage sustainable modes of transport to work and contribute to the regeneration of this key area of the city centre.”