Luxor Group is looking to create a mixed-used development on the site which was built between 1884 and 1887 and was the home of the famous Beechams pills brand.
Developer Luxor Group is acquiring the the Grade II listed Beechams Clock Tower building in St Helens with a view to creating a mixed-use scheme.
Now part of St Helens College campus, the clock tower and main building was built between 1884 and 1887 and was famous for producing the range Beechams cold and flu medication.
The company was a major employer in the town and the factory continued to produce pharmaceutical products even after Beechams merged with SmithKline Beckman in 1989. However, the plant closed its doors in 1994.
Over the last 30 years, St Helens College has invested significantly in the upkeep and refurbishment of both of the old buildings, ensuring they are fit for purpose for modern teaching and learning and appropriate for housing the broad range of curriculum the college offers.
The factory building next door to the clock tower, will continue to be owned by the college, and recently underwent a £1m pound refurbishment to transform it into a library and learning centre, investing in creating collaborative working spaces, IT facilities and exhibition space, as well as introducing a Starbucks café.
Luxor hopes to create a mixed-used development in the clock tower comprising apartments and commercial space. Founder Paul Nicholson has established a track record for completing a number of residential schemes in the area and manage a portfolio of more than 200 homes.
Mr Nicholson said, “We are really excited to be working with such a beautiful and much-loved building in St Helens. As the building is Grade II-listed, we have actively sought the advice of heritage experts to ensure we protect the fabric and characteristics and features of both the exterior and interior of the building that totals 27,000 sq ft.
“We plan to retain the exterior of the building and hope to enhance some of the existing features, for example, reinstating the old disused doorways and windows in the currently unused basement.”
Luxor plans to hold a public consultation and share the plans for the interior conversion. He added: “We hope to sympathetically expose the beautiful internal courtyard that the building is currently hiding, so residents will be able to appreciate the beauty in all its entirety.”