AN “ICONIC” city building has been stripped out and is ready to be transformed into an enterprise centre.
Isaac Maddox House is being redeveloped as part of the regeneration of the wider Shrub Hill Quarter.
The former NHS office building, named after an 18th century bishop of Worcester, is in a state of disrepair after sitting empty for around six years.
DESIGN: The enterprise centre will be designed to have a welcoming entrance (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
But work will soon start to refurbish the large building in Shrub Hill Road.
Malvern-based contractors Speller Metcalfe have been appointed and a year-long programme of work is expected to get underway by the autumn.
LIGHT: There is plenty of space inside the building ready to be transformed (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
Penny Unwin, head of corporate landlord at Worcestershire County Council, said: “The building has been completely stripped out, there is no power or heating at the moment as it all needed replacing, asbestos has been removed and it’s ready for a fit-out.”
The multi-million pound project, a collaboration between the county council and Worcester City Council, will see the lower ground floor turned into individual units accessed from the car park side of the building.
SPACIOUS: The building has been stripped out ready for refurbishment (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
The entrance from Shrub Hill Road will lead to a double-height entrance hall, with partitioned offices on the ground floor ready for small businesses to move into, while the first floor will remain open-plan for a bigger business to take on.
Shared areas including meeting rooms and kitchens will be available to all tenants. There are also two levels of roof terracing.
EMPTY: But work is set to start on Isaac Maddox House later this year (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
The newer part of Isaac Maddox House, closer to Lowesmoor Place, won’t be fitted out during this phase of work – it could provide extra space should the rest of the building be filled up, or all three floors could be let to one company.
Alan Amos, cabinet member for business and skills at the county council, said: “There is huge flexibility in the building and great views of the Engine Works.”
SPACE: Isaac Maddox House is part of a large plot of land ready for development (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
He said it was important the council continued to fund the regeneration of Shrub Hill Quarter as it was creating “not just homes but jobs as well”.
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City council leader Lynn Denham said the building was not formally listed but was “iconic for Worcester” with its distinctive windows, adding that many residents will have memories of its former uses.
SPACE: Isaac Maddox House is part of a large plot of land ready for development (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)
The land around Isaac Maddox House is also ready for development – another former office building is empty while an old factory unit next to the canal has been demolished to make the land “more attractive for developers” the council says.
The former Pitstop garage, attached to Isaac Maddox House, is also ready to be developed and could even be turned into a cafe to serve the new development.