Sold! Liverpool's first £1.5m penthouses
Feb 13 2008 by Barry Turnbull, Liverpool Daily Post


Unity building, liverpool

THE “Holy Grail” of the Liverpool property market – a £1m city centre apartment – has been reached with the sale of two luxury penthouses for around £1.5m each.

The twin “Pods” at the summit of the striking Unity city centre tower block have smashed through the million-pound barrier.

Four other penthouse suites in the building have also been sold, all thought to be around the £800,000 to £900,000 mark, in deals totalling more than £6m. A trust fund and a private individual – thought to be a local property developer – have snapped up the £1.5m Pods which offer stunning views across the city’s historic waterfront and the Mersey to Wirral and Wales beyond.

Developers Rumford Investments said there had been huge interest in the sumptuous three-storey homes situated on the 25th, 26th and 27th floors of Unity, some 270ft in the air. The 3,300 sq ft, three- bedroom, four-bathroom apartments are the first £1.5m apartments in Šthe North West.

Rumford maintained client confidentiality over the identity of the purchasers, although it is known one of the parties insisted on a gagging clause.

The sales show there is still a demand for luxury living at the top end of the Liverpool market, despite fears of an over-supply of more modestly priced city flats.

The floor space of the distinctive Pod penthouses is equivalent to a large detached house. Described by Rumford as “setting a benchmark for luxury living”, the apart-ments feature floor-to-ceiling windows, terraced balconies and cost £100,000 in interior design and fitting out.

Residents can also enjoy the highest standards of service with features including a 24-hour concierge, private residents’ gym and secure underground parking.

Rumford Investments director Mike Stares said: “The penthouses are quite unique and have set a stan-dard in luxury unmatched anywhere else in Liverpool or indeed the North West.

“Interest for the penthouses has been huge and we have been overwhelmed by the demand. We are very proud of our product and the faith that we have in the quality of the penthouses and indeed the apartments within Unity has been ratified by purchasers”.

Designed by architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the £60m Unity development – that earlier this year won a national Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) design award – comprises 155 luxury apartments and six penthouses.

Viewers of the triplex homes were impressed by the scale and location, with the earliest enquiry coming on launch day last November.

Even before that, the developers had ramped up expectations by declaring at an early stage that they planned to create the North-West’s most luxurious apartments.

Since the luxury flats scene entered the market with the creation of Beetham Plaza, developers have been on a quest for the holy grail – selling a property for in excess of £1m.

There has been uncertainty over the city centre flats scene, but these sales and the fact King Sturge sold 376 apartments in one day at Mann Island will give the market a major boost.

Top-end apartments at Grosvenor’s One Park West are also going well, and a proposed scheme for the Pier Head – New World Square – is expected to spark a flurry of interest from investors in up-market properties.

RUMFORD has turned some of its Unity apartments into serviced accommodation. One, two and three bedroom apartments can be rented out from between £75 and £250 a night on a self-catering basis.



barry.turnbull@liverpool.com