George Street becomes a city centre hotspot as apartments selling fast
DEVELOPER SAYS HIGH DEMAND IS A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FOR CITY
HIGH demand for apartments in a new £3m city centre office block conversion is a vote of confidence in Hull.
That’s the view of property management firm boss Darren Bennett as work on the transformation of the former Comet call centre in George Street nears completion.
Originally, the former electrical company’s city centre headquarters, the seven-storey building is being turned into a 47-apartment complex.
Apartments on all floors of George House have been released for sale and most have now been reserved.
It means there are now just a handful of two-bedroom apartment left for sale.
The facelift is being carried out in a joint venture between developers Empire Property Concepts and Forterm Property, which is handling the project’s sales and marketing responsibilities.
Fortem’s co-founder, Darren Bennett, said interest in the scheme underlined the growing appeal of city centre living in Hull.
He said: “This is our fourth development in Hull, and over that time we have witnessed the city continuing to grow with a shortage of rental accommodation.
“The George House apartments are in a prime area in the Hull city centre, just a short walk away from the City Hall.
“I believe Hull is sending out all the right signals and is seeing massive investments in key, future-focused industries. The fact that nearly every single apartment in George House has already been purchased just proves the impact a development like this has on a city.
“We are extremely proud to be supporting this project and look forward to seeing the final outcome of the apartments upon completion.”
Mr Bennett said work inside the building was expected to be finished later this year.
The scheme underlines a slow but steady shift from commercial to residential in the George Street area over the last few years with developments such as the Glass House at the former Queens Gardens police station, new serviced apartments in the multi-storey K2 block in Bond Street and the recent approval for 14 new apartments on the upper floors of the former Brown’s Bookshop building in George Street.
Conversion work is also expected to start soon on turning the landmark former Lloyds TSB bank on the corner of George Street and Bond Street into 46 apartments in a buy-to-let development while the city council’s Albion Square development directly opposite will eventually feature 270 new homes.