Property firm Watch This Space is to transform a Cumbria pub into a creative business hub.
The Manchester company, which styles itself as providing ‘property regeneration and investment with a smile’, has bought the Grade II-listed Duke William hotel in Staveley town centre.
Founder Michelle Rothwell held an event to present the plans for ‘Billy’s Space’, billed as a working environment for creative businesses, to around 100 local people.
“The Duke William was in a really sorry state having been passed from owner to owner and left derelict for the last 18 months, which has given way to damp and rot,” she said.
“It’s just the kind of building that Watch This Space likes to get its hands on and bring back to life.”
The building, which will be refurbished with an additional newbuild space on the end if planning permission is approved, will house nine dedicated workspaces with their own front doors.
Rothwell’s company has sustainability and the environment at its heart.
“Billy’s Space will be pioneering for the area and by regenerating this property, we can help create a hub for the next generation of businesses where they can collaborate and grow,” Rothwell continued.
“Giving businesses their own identity is central to the thinking behind this scheme and so, with that in mind, we’re giving occupiers the opportunity to purchase their own space, something which is largely unheard of for businesses of this size.
“The refurbishment will take approximately nine months to complete and once finished each creative space will have its own kitchen facilities, toilets, showers, bike facilities and some of them will even have their own log fires.”
Rothwell is an interesting character: she holds two world records, including a mammoth triathlon which involved running 87 miles from London to Dover, swimming the English Channel then cycling 187 miles to Paris.