A Grade II listed building in the heart of Newcastle is set to receive a major refurbishment that will allow it to become a home for local businesses.
Churchill House, which sits on the corner of Dean Street and Mosley Street, is set to receive a £2m investment that will convert the building into a multi-let office building.
Once complete the site will offer small, medium and large office suites to accommodate the high levels of demand for city centre office space. Data published by Rightmove Commercial has suggested there has been a significant increase in demand for leasehold offices in the North East over the last 12 months.
Churchill House was originally built in 1891 as a bank for Prudent Assurance Company. It remains a large, seven-storey building with an extensive basement and is home to the Portofino restaurant.
The refurbishment is being carried out by Naylors Gavin Black's building consultancy team, which has already completed initial repairs to the site's timber windows and stonework. Asbestos has also been removed from the property.
The main refurbishment work has been designed by Newcastle's Design North, and is set to be completed by October 2022.
A new reception will be built inside Churchill House, along with meeting rooms and break out areas for staff and clients. The property will also be equipped with new IT and superfast broadband infrastructure.
Scott Clarke, associate partner at Naylors Gavin Black, who will project manage the refurbishment, said: “This is a prestigious project that will see the transformation of an important city centre site. Our plans for the refurbishment are ambitious and herald a new lease of life for this grand and prominent building.”
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Chris Pearson, partner at Naylors Gavin Black, added: “Despite the pandemic, we are seeing high levels of enquiries for good quality office accommodation, particularly for smaller suites with first class services and facilities. Churchill House will help to meet this demand, providing excellent, readily available accommodation in a great city location.”
The refurbishment of Churchill House has been carried out after Naylors Gavin Black saw increased demand for smaller, high quality offices.
Commenting on the growth in demand, Dan Holland of Rightmove Commercial, said: “The office sector has been among the most heavily impacted throughout the pandemic. As we ease out of lockdown we’re now seeing extremely positive signs for office demand increasing.
"In fact, we’re now seeing higher levels of demand to lease offices than we saw back at the start of 2020. The appetite for smaller, self-contained offices and for companies looking for flexibility in their requirements has certainly fuelled this demand.”