Riverside office block in Beverley set for industrial-leisure transformation

A riverside office building in Beverley is about to get a new lease of life as developers transform it into a mix of industrial and leisure space.

Work is due to start on the conversion of offices at Waltham House, built in the 1980s, into three industrial units.

Chartered surveyors Garness Jones, the agency assigned to the scheme, has reported strong interest in the site to date.

In the coming weeks, it hopes to reveal details of a plan to make two floors in another part of the building available to a leisure sector business.

The new industrial units will each span around 2,800 sq ft, while the rest of the site comprises close to 15,000 sq ft across two floors and parking space for around 80 cars.

Waltham House was purpose built by Kingstown Photocodes (KTP), the barcode tech pioneer acquired in 2001 by US-based asset tracking group TrenStar.

The building was eventually bought by local entrepreneur Tony Gartland, who first saw it while working with Hull-based Neville Tucker Services Limited, which fitted the property’s heating system.

Tony, who remains a director of Neville Tucker, said: “I liked Waltham House from the first time I saw it and I bought it because it has always been a really prestigious site and we think it will appeal to a wide range of businesses.

“Over the years KTP added a second office building and then a warehouse with offices, and everything is in really good condition. There are small and large office suites with all sorts of configurations – even a conference room which could probably accommodate 100 people.”

He continued: “One of the most striking features was the barcode design on the staircase. Another occupier painted it all grey so one of the first things we did was return it to barcode black and white.

“Now we’re embarking on the conversion of some of the offices to create three industrial units, and we’re talking to prospective tenants to make sure we meet their precise requirements.”

Garness Jones agency surveyor Charles Parkinson commented: “It’s a very solid building and was used for offices and warehousing, but it is now being redeveloped for a wider market and is attracting a lot of interest.

“Some of the offices are already occupied and we are in discussions with businesses working in the leisure sector, manufacturing kitchen worktops and online retail.”

He continued: “We hope to confirm a deal very soon with a leisure operator who intends to occupy two floors and we are in discussions with businesses in other sectors who are interested because there is a shortage of good industrial space.”

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