Work on Andrew Gibson House is set to be completed by September this year despite the pandemic.
Construction at the historic landmark in Wallasey got underway last year after it gained planning permission for more than 100 plush apartments from Wirral Council in 2019.
The first phase of the development at the Edwardian mansion built in 1906 consists of 34 apartments installed inside the existing structure, with one to three bedrooms each.
Prospect Capital MD and local Wirral Developer Craig Blackwell said “The restoration of Andrew Gibson House and the wider redevelopment of the site has been underway now for several months and we are pleased to say that despite a second wave of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, the conversion of the existing house is well on target.”
And with spectacular views across the River Mersey, the luxury apartments have already been selling at the development, known as Gibson Park.
Kashi Shahverdi from selling agent Mason Verdi, added: “No one can deny that the covid-19 pandemic of the past year or so has affected all businesses in all sectors.
“Despite that we have sold more than half of the units in phase 1 in a short space of time in Gibson Park. Our aim is for all of the units to be sold by the end of the first quarter of 2021.”
Gibson House was built for the widows of retired seafarers and after being left derelict for over 10 years, many have seen the project as helping to bring the building back to its original glory.
Nautilus Welfare Fund – (NWF) [a UK-registered charity supporting seafarers and their families] who used to own the building, has also welcomed the start of work.
Gibson House was closed in 2002 because the costs of meeting present-day welfare standards proved difficult for the Fund.
NWF sold the historic site to property developer Prospect Capital in November 2019.
As part of that deal part of the site will be a new 26 place apartment scheme which will meet the growing demand from those that the charity seeks to support.
This will be constructed as part of phase two after the first phase of work restoring Andrew Gibson House and four detached new homes on adjacent plots to the main building.
The refit is due to be complete by September 2021, before works begin on phase two later in the year.