A £1.2 million renovation of a listed Hull city centre building has completed, with a health and wellbeing start-up and an expanding education recruitment business becoming neighbours.
SAAF Education has moved into Bayles House, which forms part of the Danish Buildings complex in High Street, Hull – one of Allenby Commercial’s most ambitious projects.
The company will soon be joined by Renots, a new business launched by Megan Stoner after she decided to branch out with her fitness and rehabilitation services.
Allenby acquired the site on the bank of the River Hull in 2017 as it built a portfolio of landmark properties throughout the city. It includes Paragon Arcade, the Hideout Hotel, Worx at the junction of Beverley Road and Spring Bank and Europa House, now undergoing transformation as Monocle.
Danish Buildings - including the Grade II listed Bayles House - was built in the late 17th century, with alterations in subsequent centuries. It was listed in 1952.
The Allenby plan brought grant support from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, with £250,000 secured by the Humber LEP as part of the Northern Powerhouse commitment.
The result is a mixed range of studios, from 160 sq ft up to 1,200 sq ft, with shared spaces including kitchens, courtyards, break-out areas and a striking summerhouse meeting room - which are all free for tenants to use.
Film companies, photographers, marketing agencies and architects were among the businesses which relocated to the heart of the Old Town.
Most Read
SAAF employs around 25 people, providing financial guidance and business support for schools and academies from its base in Nottingham. It launched its recruitment arm, SAAF Supply, in Hull 18 months ago.
Managing director Matt Lydon has expanded it from two people to five and saw Bayles House as the ideal environment for further growth.
He said: “We hope to bring in someone else in the coming weeks and the new office has space for eight people so it will last us for a couple of years yet and there is room to expand within the building.
“We’d like to stay here because we see it as somewhere we can put our roots down. We always wanted something that’s a little bit different. I know the Old Town well and I used to live at the other end of High Street. I’m a big believer in the idea that a nice environment is good for people and their mental health.”
Megan has been developing her business Renots, within the Holiday Inn Hull Marina for the past two years after graduating in injury rehabilitation at the University of Hull. She previously worked with the NHS and Nuffield Health, and has been looking to expand her business within the city centre.
She said: “Bayles House is a nice, open and calming space and perfect for consultations with clients. I had seen what Allenby did with Danish Buildings, creating a comfortable space for people to work and I decided then I wanted to be in here. It’s a place where I can grow the business into a facility where people can reduce pain and stress.”
Paul Swallow, contracts and site manager at Allenby Commercial, said: “This has been a particularly important project for us because of the history of the building and its prime Old Town location. Danish Buildings and Bayles House both needed a lot of work when we bought them and we’ve had to be very patient but now the rewards are there for all to see.
“We’ve retained the original charm and character yet turned the properties into modern office and studio space and all the feedback we’ve received indicates that its an environment which fuels creativity and builds productivity.”