A prominent office block in Derby city centre which has been earmarked for apartments has changed hands for £1.6 million.
Forester House, on the corner of Newland Street and Becket Street, has been snapped up by Universal Total Care.
The five-storey office building, which was built in the 1970s, offers around 42,565 sq ft of floor space.
The property was formerly home to a JobCentre Plus office. However, the building has stood empty ever since JobCentre Plus staff vacated Forester House and relocated elsewhere in the city.
Early last year, it was announced that Derby City Council had struck a deal with the Department for Work and Pensions to relocate JobCentre services under one roof.
It saw 120 JobCentre staff from the Forester House office, and another in Normanton Road, relocate to revamped offices at the Council House, in Corporation Street.
Last summer, the authority granted permission for Forester House to be converted into 59 apartments.
According to the original planning application, submitted by Origin3, on behalf of property firm Telereal Trillium, 31 of the apartments will be one-bedroom properties while the remaining 28 will have two bedrooms.
The building’s car park will be retained for the use of residents, providing 60 spaces - while a secure bicycle store will be provided at basement level.
Darran Severn, from FHP Property Consultants, who handled the sale of the building to Universal Total Care, said: “I’m very pleased this sale has completed. The property is suitable for a number of uses and has planning consent for 59 apartments.
“The immediate area will certainly benefit from this development and I look forward to seeing the finished product whether that’s housing or leisure.
“There is continued demand for freehold premises of this nature, not only in Derby city centre but throughout the region.”
