Mapeley Estates recently instructed our Agency Department to bring forward a disposal of the former Inland Revenue offices situated on Chaucer Walk within Furthergate Business Park, Blackburn.
The two-storey office complex, known locally as Customs House, provided in excess of 20,000 sq. ft. of office accommodation for the Revenue with ample parking provision. Trevor Dawson targeted office occupiers and also identified potential purchasers in the market for alternative uses including leisure, education and residential.
Due to the proximity of the site to Blackburn Town Centre and the motorway it appealed to the eventual purchasers, Empire Property Concepts, who are a Doncaster based firm. They have successfully obtained planning consent for a conversion into 37 flats. Empire are well known within the borough, having acquired the former Lancashire Telegraph building in the Town Centre which has been transformed as part of the Cathedral Quarter development to form 74 flats, with a high occupancy rate already being achieved.
Paul Rothwell, Managing Director of Empire, commented, “The offices were introduced to us by Trevor Dawson as they were aware of our successful conversion of Telegraph House in the Town Centre. It quickly became apparent that the building was ideal for a residential conversion scheme and ticked all the boxes in respect of our business model. We are delighted to have secured an early planning consent in order to bring a vacant building back into active and meaningful use, and ultimately regenerate the immediate area”.