Historic Liverpool building to be turned into boutique hotel

Plans have been unveiled that will transform one of Liverpool's most historic city centre buildings into a new boutique hotel.

The Royal Insurance Building, located on the corner of Dale Street and North John Street, was built in 1903 but has been empty for a number of years. Council officials listed it as "at risk" in 2005 and fears were raised that it might collapse.

Now, however, architecture firm Purcell Miller Tritton has unveiled a £17 million plan to transform the building into a 90-bed hotel and spa.

The plans call for a health spa in the basement, a ground floor complete with a restaurant and bar and 90 luxury bedrooms. If approved, the building could become one of the best hotels in Liverpool.

James Sanderson, manager of Purcell Miller Tritton's Liverpool operation, commented: "We are thrilled to be involved in the preliminary stage of such an exciting project in Liverpool whereby we can draw on our experience and expertise in the repair and conservation of sensitive buildings and deliver an excellent result."