Key Points
- Liverpool City Council has appointed property agency Worthington Owen to market two vacant office buildings in Liverpool city centre: Premier Court off Hatton Garden and Venture Place on Sir Thomas Street.
- The council is seeking £2.5m for Premier Court and £1.75m for Venture Place.
- The two guide prices total £4.25m, although the source article gives the combined figure as £3.25m.
- Premier Court has 40,800 sq ft across six floors and includes the former Epstein Centre.
- Venture Place has 45,000 sq ft across eight storeys and was formerly occupied by BBC Radio Merseyside.
- Both buildings have previously been marketed but did not sell.
- Liverpool City Council said the proposed sales are part of its strategy to generate capital receipts, make long-term savings and rationalise its operational property estate.
- Worthington Owen co-founder Andrew Owen said the vacant buildings offer a rare city-centre acquisition opportunity and expects strong interest.
Liverpool Council (Liverpool standard) August 28, 2026 — It has again put two vacant office properties on the market, appointing Worthington Owen to seek buyers for Premier Court and Venture Place. The buildings offer a combined 85,800 sq ft of office space and are being offered with vacant possession, according to Place North West reporter Dan Whelan.
The properties are Premier Court, located off Hatton Garden, and Venture Place on Sir Thomas Street. Place North West reported that Premier Court is being marketed for offers of £2.5m, while Venture Place is listed at £1.75m. Those individual figures amount to £4.25m; however, the publication’s report referred to a “combined £3.25m” opportunity. The council and agent’s quoted guide prices, as reported, are therefore set out separately in this article rather than treated as a single confirmed total.
The Liverpool vacant offices sale represents a renewed attempt to dispose of buildings that the council has identified as surplus to its requirements. The authority said the move supports a broader accommodation strategy intended to reduce the number of operational assets it retains while producing funds that can be used for city projects.
As reported by Dan Whelan of Place North West, Liverpool City Council cabinet member for growth and economy Cllr Nick Small said: “The sale of both buildings is part of the Council’s drive to deliver long-term savings and generate capital receipts which can be reinvested in city projects.”
Cllr Small added that the disposals were aligned with the council’s wider approach to rationalising its operational assets. He said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Worthington Owen in these sales.”
Which buildings are being offered for sale?
Premier Court is a six-storey office building off Hatton Garden in Liverpool city centre. It provides 40,800 sq ft of floorspace and includes the former Epstein Centre, according to the report by Place North West. The current marketing seeks offers of £2.5m for the building.
The asset has already been through an earlier sale process. In 2019, CBRE was appointed to find a purchaser for Premier Court, but no transaction was completed, Dan Whelan reported. Its return to the market means a buyer will again be sought for a substantial vacant city-centre building.
Venture Place, on Sir Thomas Street, is the larger of the two properties. The eight-storey building provides 45,000 sq ft and was once home to BBC Radio Merseyside. It is being marketed with a £1.75m guide price, according to Place North West.
The building has also been previously marketed. Worthington Owen was appointed in late 2022 to seek bids for Venture Place, which the report said had then been vacant for nearly five years. No completed disposal was reported before the latest instruction.
| Property | Location | Floors | Floorspace | Reported guide price | Previous sale effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier Court | Off Hatton Garden | Six | 40,800 sq ft | £2.5m | CBRE appointed in 2019; no deal struck |
| Venture Place | Sir Thomas Street | Eight | 45,000 sq ft | £1.75m | Previously marketed; Worthington Owen appointed in late 2022 |
The property details, former uses and prior marketing history were reported by Dan Whelan for Place North West.
Why has Liverpool City Council re-marketed the offices?
Liverpool City Council has deemed both office buildings surplus to requirements, according to the report. In practical terms, that classification means the council no longer requires the properties for its own stated operational accommodation needs and is pursuing a sale rather than continued retention.
The council has connected the proposed transactions to two financial objectives: delivering long-term savings and generating capital receipts. A capital receipt is money received from the sale of an asset, rather than revenue raised through regular services or charges. The council said such receipts could be reinvested in projects across the city.
The decision also sits within the authority’s accommodation strategy. Cllr Small said this strategy seeks to rationalise operational assets, meaning the council is aiming to manage its property portfolio more selectively rather than keep buildings it no longer needs.
The renewed sale effort does not, on the information reported, mean that buyers have been secured. Worthington Owen has been instructed to market the buildings and seek interest. Any final deal would depend on purchasers coming forward, negotiations, due diligence and the council’s relevant disposal processes. The published report did not identify prospective buyers or give a timetable for an agreed transaction.
What has Worthington Owen said about the opportunity?
Worthington Owen, the property agency appointed by Liverpool City Council, is handling both disposals. Its co-founder, Andrew Owen, described the offer as an opportunity to acquire office buildings in the centre of Liverpool with vacant possession.
As reported by Dan Whelan of Place North West, Andrew Owen said: “The sales of Premier Court and Venture Place offer a rare opportunity to acquire office buildings in the heart of Liverpool city centre with vacant possession.”
He added: “We are delighted to have been instructed by Liverpool City Council to deal with these disposals and are confident that we will receive excellent levels of interest.”
Vacant possession means that a buyer would not take on an existing occupier in the space at completion, based on the marketing description. That can allow a purchaser to decide how and when the accommodation is used, refurbished, let or redeveloped, subject to planning requirements, building constraints and the terms of any eventual sale. The report did not state a proposed future use for either Premier Court or Venture Place.
The marketing position is therefore centred on the location, scale and vacant status of the buildings, rather than on a specified redevelopment scheme. No planning application, preferred purchaser or confirmed change-of-use proposal was identified in the source report.
What is the background to the office disposals?
The latest instruction follows unsuccessful or incomplete earlier attempts to sell both buildings. Premier Court was previously marketed through CBRE in 2019, but Place North West reported that no deal was struck. Venture Place was also marketed before, with Worthington Owen appointed in late 2022 to seek bids for the property.
That history provides context for the renewed campaign. The council is not bringing entirely new assets to the market; it is revisiting disposals for properties that have remained vacant or have not completed a sale through earlier marketing exercises.
Venture Place’s former role as the home of BBC Radio Merseyside is among the building’s notable historic associations. Premier Court’s offering includes the former Epstein Centre. Beyond those details, the report did not provide information on the properties’ condition, refurbishment requirements, tenure, planning status, business rates position or any formal deadline for bids.
For the council, the stated background is its property rationalisation programme and aim of producing savings and capital receipts. For buyers, the central feature is the availability of two substantial office assets in Liverpool city centre without sitting tenants, as described by Worthington Owen.
How could the disposals affect Liverpool audiences?
If sales are agreed, the most direct effect for Liverpool City Council could be the removal of two surplus assets from its operational portfolio and the receipt of sale proceeds, consistent with the authority’s stated aim of generating capital receipts and long-term savings. The eventual financial outcome would depend on the prices achieved and the costs associated with the transactions; neither is confirmed in the published report.
For potential investors, developers and office occupiers, the renewed marketing creates an opportunity to assess two large vacant buildings in central Liverpool. Their vacant-possession status may be relevant to purchasers considering future occupation, refurbishment, leasing or a planning-led alternative use. Those outcomes remain possibilities rather than confirmed plans, because no buyer or intended redevelopment strategy has been announced.
For nearby businesses and city-centre users, the effect will depend on what purchasers ultimately choose to do with the sites. A completed sale could lead to new investment or activity at the buildings over time, while a further unsuccessful marketing period would leave the properties under the council’s ownership or require another strategy. The available reporting does not establish which outcome is more likely.
For Liverpool residents, the development is chiefly a council estate-management decision at this stage. The immediate confirmed change is the appointment of Worthington Owen to market Premier Court and Venture Place; any broader impact on the streets around Hatton Garden and Sir Thomas Street will rely on future sale agreements and subsequent decisions by the eventual owners.
