Option X
Existing building refurbishment. Total cost £1,500,000. End value: £320,000
The Warehouse as a standalone building,fully restored (new roof, new windows etc), but with the north end (only) brought back into use. This is intended to be a commercial scheme, developed by a private sector partner. A café in the northeast corner of the site may spill onto a pontoon deck on the canal (in the 'tunnel' under the first floor). The northwest corner provides an entrance, lift and stairs to open-plan office accommodation on the first floor. It is assumed that the café and office suite will be leased to two separate tenants on reasonable-length leases from the developer or British Waterways. It is possible that the 'developer' could be British Waterways itself, or a Building Preservation Trust. (The BPT would need to have a long lease from British Waterways to do this.) As an alternative to the office accommodation, the first floor could provide a 3-bedroom holiday apartment. Having lift access and spacious accommodation, this would be suitable for disabled holiday-makers. The apartment could be a serviced apartment (daily sheet-changing like a hotel), or a 'traditional' holiday let. The operator could be a private enterprise (someone who already runs holiday cottages in the village, a hotelier (i.e. the Jodrell), or British Waterways or a community development trust. A store or management office on the ground floor provides space for linen, cleaning materials etc, and also for the landlord or site manager of the whole site.
