Developers have won the right to change a former Salford Quays shipping company headquarters into flats after plans were passed by Salford City Council.
Liverpool-based Elite City Living Ltd, which was set up in 2015, applied for a change of use for two office buildings: the vacant six-storey Custom House and the partially-full 11-storey Furness House.
Custom House, which sits alongside the Metrolink track between Salford Quays and Anchorage, is made up of two linked buildings covering 43,363 sq ft.
The new application outlines basic plans: Custom House would be converted into 43 apartments: 24 one-bed, 15 two-bed and four three-bed.
Furness Quay (the new name for Furness House) would have 79 flats: 33 one-bed, 30 two-bed and 16 three-bed.
The large site winds all the way round from the Metrolink line to Trafford Road.
The developers suggest that 150 car parking spaces will be made available.
Custom House as it is today
An early CGI of ‘Custom Quay’
Planning permission was granted to Manchester developer Factory Estates Ltd in June 2015 to turn Custom House, the former home of Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, into 60 apartments.
They submitted the plans on behalf of private property giant Bruntwood Estates, who are rumoured to have paid in the region of £6.5 million to acquire Custom House and Furness House.
Factory won planning consent for a change of use in 2015, having overcome concerns about flood risks.
Plans were turned down at first when council officers reported that a residential block could flood here, given the low position of the site and the height of the nearby Manchester Ship Canal.
Read: ‘Flood risk’ scuppers 60-flat plan for Salford Quays offices
Read: Firm overturns ‘flood risk’ to turn Salford Quays office block into 60 flats
One-bed flats in the earlier 60-flat proposal were being sold off-plan on Rightmove for just under £150,000.
Furness House was formerly known as Manchester Liners House and opened in December 1969.
The building was designed to resemble a ship’s bridge.
In 1970 Manchester Liners became a subsidiary of Furness Withy, which was later bought by Hamburg Sud.
Furness House in 2003 – © Salford Local History Library
