NHS agrees Liverpool pre-let
NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group has taken 33,433 sq ft of offices at the former Lewis’s store, now called The Department, in Liverpool city centre.
According to letting agent Bilfinger GVA, the deal is the first office pre-let in excess of 30,000 sq ft in the city since 2010.
NHS Liverpool CCG has taken the third and fourth floors of the development on a 10-year lease.
The commissioning group will relocate its staff from Arthouse Square to The Department by the end of the year, when it will join existing tenant Pure Gym which moved into the development in the spring.
The Department, which forms part of the Central Village scheme, is currently in the process of undergoing a comprehensive programme of refurbishment and remodelling, project managed by Bilfinger GVA.
The building will provide 75,000 sq ft of office accommodation, a double height reception entrance and fully refurbished common areas.
Ian Steele, director at Bilfinger GVA, said: “The majority of deals in the marketplace in Liverpool to date have been dominated by lettings from SMEs so this deal represents a real milestone. This is also a significant letting for The Department ahead of its scheduled completion at the end of 2015.”
Bilfinger GVA and Hitchcock Wright & Partners are joint agents on the scheme.
Arthouse Square should now benefit from a groundfloor leisure use. With this area of Ropewalks now booming the square offers great potential. Well done with the Letting at The Department. Hopefully this will spearhead the completion of the rest of Central Village too.
By Paul Blackburn