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Royal Insurance building
A GRAND Liverpool building on the ECHO’s Stop the Rot hit list is to have a health spa as part of £17m redevelopment plans.
Architects Purcell Millet Tritton announced the latest proposals for the former Royal Insurance Building in North John Street, which is to be converted into a 90-room hotel by developers Kingsgate London Properties.
Work could start this year on the grade II-listed building, which has been derelict for more than 15 years.
Plans for the seven-storey Edwardian structure include a health spa in the basement, exploiting the existing brick-vaulted area.
The ground floor will contain a restaurant and bar and a suite of meeting rooms, while the upper floors will be converted to around 90 bedrooms.
The top floors will be extended to create extra bedroom space with panoramic views of the city’s skyline.
Purcell Miller Tritton worked on the restoration of Liverpool’s St George’s Hall.
James Sanderson, who runs their Liverpool operation, said: “We are thrilled to be involved in the preliminary stage of such an exciting project where we can draw on our considerable experience and expertise in repair and conservation of sensitive buildings.”
The landmark building was a ground-breaking design when it was completed in 1903, becoming the first building in Britain with a steel frame supporting all its upper floors.
The site was added to English Heritage’s buildings at risk register in 2005 and two years ago the ECHO revealed it was suffering from dry rot and water damage.
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I saw that in the Echo. Great news. It is my favourite building.
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About time it was brought back into use. Better a fine building like that is than another new steel and glass structure.
