Crossfield to build £15m Crosby mixed-use block

The company proposes to redevelop Telegraph House on Moor Lane into a 67,000 sq ft scheme with retail on the ground floor and three floors of apartments for older people, after buying the property last month.

Crossfield Exclusive Developments purchased the 18,700 sq ft retail and office building from regeneration company St Modwen at the end of May for £1m.

Telegraph House is the last of St Modwen’s Crosby assets to be sold after the company appointed property agency Lambert Smith Hampton to dispose of its Crosby Village assets last March.

Developer Crossfield, whose managing director is Crosby-born David Cain, has appointed Liverpool-based architect Studio RBA to draw up designs for the four-storey block, but no drawings are available yet.

The intention is to attract a “high-quality retailer or food shop” to occupy the ground-floor commercial space and build senior living apartments on the floors above, ranging from one-to-two-bedroom flats.

The developer intends to submit a planning application by October and start on site by next April subject to consent. Construction work is to be carried out by Crossfield Construction, a division of Crossfield Group.

Cain and his business partner, Crossfield director David Ayem, said they hope to attract more footfall to Crosby Village, “which has struggled in recent years”.

“Crosby means a lot to me,” said Cain. “I have happy memories of growing up here and I’ve still got plenty of family in the area.

“I know that, like many places, Crosby Village has struggled in recent years and Covid-19 will have even more of an impact on high street footfall.

“I want to play my part in helping Moor Lane continue to be a vibrant part of Crosby, where people come to live, shop and socialise for many years to come.”

The scheme is also intended to deliver new homes for Crosby. Sefton Council claims that 73 new homes must be built in Crosby each year keep up with local demand.

Ayem added: “We know that the council has identified a requirement for one- and two-bedroom homes suitable for older people and aim to meet that need.”

Law firm TLT advised Crossfield on its purchase of Telegraph House.