West Bay hopeful over Liverpool office tower

Northern Irish developer West Bay Capital is in talks with Liverpool planners over building an 18-storey office tower on 30 Pall Mall at the eastern edge of the commercial district.

West Bay has set up a synonymous special purpose vehicle, 30 Pall Mall, to deliver 250,000 sq ft of office space on a site currently occupied by a much smaller office building but which has residential consent.

Ashley Moore, managing director of West Bay, believes that the proposed English Cities Fund office scheme on the opposite side of Pall Mall presents an opportunity to rethink the site and expand the city's established commercial district.

Moore said: "We have taken a good look at what is happening in Liverpool and the potential that exists within the city centre to establish a larger and more diverse commercial economy.

"Liverpool has some outstanding strengths as a business destination and we believe that we can deliver a highly quality imaginative product that will be attractive to a wide range of commercial occupiers. We are aiming to provide space for both larger and smaller users that we believe will be good for Liverpool's economy. "

Architects Broadway Malyan, who were also the designers for Neptune / Countryside's Mann Island development, have been appointed to design the tower.

Matt Brook, head of Broadway's recently established Liverpool office, commented: "We are at a very early stage of dialogue with the city planners, but they have been very receptive to the concept of a major office-led scheme on a site previously approved for residential. It is the first large-scale commercial scheme outside what has been a fairly defined office core, in that respect it is a very significant vote of confidence in Liverpool's economic future."

Mason Owen is the retained agent.