Liverpool’s auction rooms-to-hotel conversion approved

Developer JSM Company Group has been given the go-ahead to convert the Fruit Exchange building on Victoria Street in Liverpool. The decision was made at Liverpool City Council’s planning committee meeting this morning. The plans were filed with the council in March this year. JSM is set to redevelop the historic building into an 81-bedroom hotel with a ground-floor bar accessed off Mathew Street. The 36,920 sq ft building was built in 1888 as a railway goods depot for the London & North Western Railway to serve Exchange Station on Tithebarn Street. It was converted into the Fruit Exchange in 1923 by JB Hutchins to auction fruit and produce to buyers from across the country. The building was given a Grade II listing in 2008. The existing building’s exterior will be altered to restore and bring back currently blocked up windows. The developer also plans to add an additional floor, extending the size of the scheme to 41,269 sq ft. The scheme was designed by Wroot Design. Image © Wroot Design