A MANCHESTER office block which has stood empty for 17 months has finally signed a tenant.
Construction work on developer Bilsdale Properties’ site – opposite the Manchester Art Gallery at the corner of Mosley Street and Princes Street – was completed in April last year.
The project transformed one of Manchester’s eyesore buildings of the 1970s into a modern office block. For 30 years the unloved block had masked the view of the Grade I listed gallery building, designed by Sir Charles Barry. But the timing of the project could not have been worse, with completion of building work coming as the credit crunch turned into a recession.
Now construction consultant WT Partnership has relocated from Old Trafford to become the first office occupier to take space at 80 Mosley Street, agreeing a 10-year lease for a 1,800 sq ft suite.
The building provides four new floors of office space, along with 30,000 sq ft of refurbished and new grade A office accommodation.
David Lynch, of Bilsdale Properties, said: “We are experiencing interest from a wide range of occupiers, and we are delighted that WT Partnership has decided to relocate business to 80 Mosley Street.”
WT Partnership employs around 950 staff in 50 offices worldwide.
Will Lewis of WHR Property Consultants, who advised on the deal, said: “Occupiers appreciate the buzz and high-quality amenities of the city centre’s prime office core, together with immediate proximity to numerous forms of public transport.”
WHR and King Sturge acted as joint letting agents.
Tweet
Mark, South Manchester (24/09/2009 at 10:36)
But the new building is four storeys higher - so this "new eyesore" masks the view of the gallery FAR MORE than the "old eyesore" ever did. Its height is totally out of proportion to every other building along Princess Street and only adds to the ugly blandness of Mosley Street.
Sure the old office block looked terrible, but so does the new one! And the MEN should be telling us so, instead of all this "uncritical sucking up" you (& Channel M) do to office, apartment & retail property developers ALL THE TIME!!