Pictured above: The landmark property at 721 Bristol
Road South
One of the most prominent retail locations in the Birmingham
suburb of Northfield has come on the market after more than 50
years as the home of one of the city's longest established
businesses.
The building, which features the landmark Northfield clock
tower, is on the corner of 721 Bristol Road South and 2 Bell Lane
and has been the home of travel agency Universal Travel for 50
years.
The business was launched by the late Coun Den Caney, who also
established Caney Coaches in the 1950s, and the family has taken
the decision to sell the freehold of the property due to the
impending retirement of director Ian Caney.
Den Caney's daughter Rachel Polhill, co-director of Universal
Travel, said: "We have refurbished the exterior and the roof of the
building and this regeneration work has brought the building back
to its former glory, particularly the clock tower which everyone
who shops and lives in Northfield knows so well.
"The upper floors are currently empty and simply as a base for
Universal Travel the building is too large.
"As a family, we had to take a decision whether to redevelop the
site ourselves or put it on the open market.
"It was a hard decision to make as it has many happy memories
for us all, but we are essentially travel agents and coach tour
operators and this is a job for a developer who understands the
potential of the site and can make the best use of the
building."
Business property agent John Truslove who is selling the
freehold of the property for £750,000 said: "There is a
really good retail and residential development opportunity here,
subject to planning, for someone with vision and a desire to create
something special in a busy suburb of Birmingham.
"Northfield has always been a strong business area and it is
also popular with those who work in Birmingham but don't want to
pay city centre prices to buy or rent city centre properties."
The building has a total gross floor area of around 3,837 sq ft
comprising ground floor, air conditioned retail unit and ancillary
office accommodation at ground and basement level with frontage
along Bristol Road South.
John Truslove said: "It is in a prominent location with the
Grosvenor Shopping Centre directly opposite and national chains
such as Iceland Foods, McDonald's and Pizza Hut close by.
"There is potential to refurbish and redevelop the property,
subject to planning permission. Indicative plans are available from
the John Truslove offices in Redditch which show a mixed retail and
residential development comprising ground floor shop with basement
office and five self-contained apartments.
"Opportunities like this in such a prominent and well known
location don't come along too often - in this case every 50 years -
and we expect strong interest from the developer community as a
recovery in property starts to gather momentum."