Redevco seeks to reduce retail space
The owner of 18-20 Church Street in Liverpool is taking steps to attract a wider range of occupiers to the 83,000 sq ft building as fashion retailer Next prepares to vacate in the coming months.
Next occupies four floors of the six-storey building, including the basement, but plans to relocate elsewhere in Liverpool when its lease expires.
Investment manager Redevco has now lodged an application to Liverpool City Council seeking to change the use of part of the building. A gym, socialising space, storage unit or a combination of the three, have all been mooted in the application.
The ground floor is likely to remain as a retail unit with alternative uses plotted for the other floors. Any internal alterations required to accommodate future occupiers would be subject to further planning applications, according to the planning documents.
The change of use application is recommended for approval when Liverpool City Council’s planning committee meets tomorrow.
Savills is the planning consultant for the scheme.
There is definitely more demand for gyms, but this is a prime retail street and should stay as much in shopping use as possible.
By Anon
As has been stated before, the modern extension to the right hand side of the photograph should be demolished, and then Coopers Alley should reinstated . This would then allow the owner to partly develop that side of the upper building with flats or a hotel, while the lower floors could be retail or a gym. They could also develop Coopers Alley as a covered mall with small boutique-type outlets and quality retailers.
By Anonymous
We are in strange times. Retail and offices seemingly in decline, and everywhere will be converted into giant Amazonian warehouses.
By Pol
Re-opening Coopers’ Alley (Church Lane) is an excellent idea. Let’s hope Savills has explored this as an option? Peter’s Lane adjacent created the permeability that the L1 area needed and has been a big success.
By LEighteen
The opening up of Coopers Alley would reveal the beauty of Coopers Building as well as the art deco of the former Woolworths/C&A building. Pre-war Liverpool was much more permeable. Liverpool One has reinstated a lot of that but the reopening of Coopers Alley would help a lot, as well as allowing these buildings to reach their full potential.
By Red Squirrel