AN ENORMOUS UK warehouse, once thought to be the world's largest, is to be transformed into a trendy, modern development.
Some £250million will be poured into the abandoned Tobacco Warehouse in Liverpool, and the space filled with cafes, bars and a leisure centre.
The historic building is constructed from 13million bricks, 8,000 tonnes of steel and 22,500 cubic metres of concrete.
It now finds itself at the centre of a project to revive Liverpool's docklands.
Following in the footsteps of the Royal Albert Dock, the new development will boast everything from apartments to retail space.
Sean Keyes, CEO of the firm behind the project, said the revamp will be careful to preserve the building's cultural significance.
He told the Express: “The overriding aim of the project is to maintain this Victorian-era building for future generations.
“It is an iconic Liverpool heritage landmark, and it sits within the largest and most complete system of historic docks anywhere in the world.”
Tobacco Warehouse was opened over 120 years ago in 1901, just as Queen Victoria‘s reign ended, and was designed by civil engineer Arthur Lyster.
The relic has stood largely unused and derelict for the past 50 years.
Keyes said: “This part of Liverpool has been undergoing a major transformation after decades of decline.
“The warehouse was the largest in the world when it was built, and keeping its original structure intact has been essential to our sustainability objectives.”
Other sites transformed by the project include the new Everton stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, which opened last month.
Of the new stadium, Keyes said: “That project alone is expected to inject £1 billion into the local economy, create 15,000 jobs, and attract 1.4 million visitors.
“Tobacco Warehouse is helping to reinvigorate the Atlantic Corridor and will be a catalyst for further investment.”
However, the warehouse project is not without difficulties.
The developer said: “The warehouse's size and design made it difficult to repurpose.
“Two key obstacles were the lack of natural light in the core of the building and the low ceiling heights, which were originally built to store two stacked tobacco bales.”
When the conversion is complete, the warehouse will house 1,500 residents, and cafes, bars and a leisure centre will line the ground floor.
It is hoped the new establishments will bring a European-style culture to the area.
However, there are some current residents of the building who won't be going anywhere.
The plans accommodate two peregrine falcons who nest on top of the huge building, where they are invited to stay.
A similar project will see an abandoned site in Bromley-by-Bow undergo an impressive revamp.
Anyone who has visited the districtin Tower Hamlets will recognise the huge gasworks site that has been empty for 15 years.
It was revealed this month that the seven huge rusting structures will be turned into over 2,000homes, with 70 per cent of the site being open space.
