A TRIO of Bolton brothers are hoping to give one of the town’s historic landmark buildings a new lease of life.
Bolton Business Centre, in Lower Bridgeman Street, has stood empty for the past year, but plans for a £700,000 investment to transform it into a ‘high-quality contemporary office space’ have now been revealed.
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Brothers Adam, Dominic and Nick Pope, all of whom were born and bred in the town, are behind the project, which, if approved, will see the building undergo an extensive refurbishment.
A new mezzanine floor would also be added, as well as a small glazed rooftop extension.
The brothers set up their three companies; Get Claims Advice, Polar Energy and MacFarlaine and Brooks IFA, back in 2015, and they are currently based in Bayley House, in St Georges Square.
At present, they employ 25 staff across the three firms, but they have already purchased the landmark site in a bid to fulfil their plans of expanding further.
It is hoped that the building would provide them with ‘the perfect base’ from which to grow and create more jobs.
Adam, aged 37, said: “We wanted to buy a building with character and history.
“That site has had a number of uses in the past. A lot of business have started there that have gone on to be quite successful.
“It is in a great spot for us as well, in the gateway to Bolton.
“We want to recruit local people, and by having an office that is going to be a great place to come and work, we feel like we are doing our bit to regenerate Bolton.”
Plans for the work have been submitted to Bolton Council, as well as consent to work on the grade II listed building, which was constructed some time between 1845 and 1847.
Prior to becoming Bolton Business Centre, the building was originally used as a public baths and assembly room.
The former baths is now a veterinary practice under separate ownership.
The assembly rooms were later used for civic functions and parties until the 1980s when they became offices. However, many of the building’s original features were destroyed around this time.
Manchester-based architects, Atelier MB, which specialises in projects for historic buildings, have drawn up the plans.
Ray Makin, chairman of Atelier MB, said the refurbishment would aim to expose ‘as much of the splendour of the space as possible’ to reflect the building’s history and character.
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The plans are set to go before councillors later in the month.
Should the scheme be approved, its owners hope it will be ready for them to move into by June 2019.
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