Listed Cumbria council offices up for sale

A set of grade two-listed townhouses in central Carlisle, formerly used by Cumbria Council as offices, have been brought to market with planning permission in place for a residential conversion.

The properties at 1-20 Portland Square, 5 Brunswick Street, and 1-5 Alfred Street North, occupy a site of more than an acre in three blocks arranged around Portland Square in central Carlisle.

These were built between 1860 and 1880, initially housing private residences over three and four storeys. Period features to the outside have been retained although the buildings have been used as businesses premises for some time.

Cumbria Council relocated to Cumbria House, a purpose-built office on Carlisle’s Botchergate, leaving the properties available for development.

The properties have an existing detailed planning consent for conversion into 22 homes although other uses would also be viable. Savills has been instructed to sell the properties, with formal tenders invited on an unconditional basis by 12pm on Friday 15 February 2019.

Matthew Bell of Savills said: “As one of Carlisle’s finest collections of period buildings, these terraces present a surviving example of a central urban Victorian residential square and as such, are of regional importance in terms of historic planned urban design and in the high architectural quality of external features and internal well-proportioned living accommodation.

“Situated within a sought-after residential location, the site benefits from detailed planning consent for the conversion of the office space to 22 homes which would take them back to their original use, but it would also lend itself to a range of development scenarios, subject to obtaining the necessary consents. As a result of the high quality of the buildings on offer and their versatile nature, we are anticipating a high volume of interest from both local and national housebuilders and developers.”