Paul Hubbard Commercial are delighted to present an exciting and unique proposition located in the centre of Ipswich; St Nicholas Church and Churchgates House.

Situated right in the heart of Ipswich’s busy town centre on Cutler Street, this 0.83 acre site includes a beautiful 14th century church, and modern glass walled cafe and a large, detached three-storey office building, all available with vacant possession.

Owned for a number of years by the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the site is now available to purchase due to relocation and offers huge potential to anyone looking for a unique town centre commercial investment.

The site is situated in the area of town known as “The Saints”, a local hub for small enterprises and a tight-knit community of independent establishments including shops, cafes, and restaurants. The area buzzes with activity throughout the year, highlighted by the beloved Street Markets held on St. Peter’s Street.

With over 12,000sq ft of floorspace across the 3 buildings, this is a spacious and adaptable site which could be a fantastic new home for a growing business, or an intriguing investment for someone interested in splitting up the units and renting them out.

The office building is currently occupied and the church and cafe are used for various events and functions throughout the year, however the full site is available with vacant possession.

ST NICHOLAS CHURCH AND CAFE:

St Nicholas’ Church is a medieval church which is currently used by the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich as a conference centre and is adjacent to the diocesan offices.
The church dates from 1300 and was substantially refitted in 1849, and the fifteenth century tower was rebuilt in 1886.

The church was made redundant in 1984 and in 2001 the Diocese of St Edmondsbury and Ipswich repurchased it and have developed the conference centre, linked by a new modern glass cafe building to their offices in Churchgates House.

The church has been available to hire as a venue for business, educational and religious events and could continue to operate in the same capacity under new ownership.

The use class for the church, which includes the café, is D1 – “Non-residential institutions”. This can include clinics, health centres, crèches, day nurseries, day centres, schools, art galleries (other than for sale or hire), museums, libraries, halls, places of worship, church halls, law court, non-residential education and training centres.

For more information on planning potential or change of use, please contact Ipswich Borough Council. Please also note that the church is within the Ipswich Conservation Area.

The cafe is a stunning addition to the site, comprising a fully glass structure adjoining both the church and the offices. This was closed during COVID 19 and has not yet re-opened, however it does offer fantastic potential for a new operator due to the large amount of businesses in the area.

It includes a fully fitted commercial kitchen, WCs, capacity for 50+ guests and could be used to work in conjunction with the office building, or run and operated completely separately.

The current rateable value for the church and cafe (1 April 2023 to present)is £8,700 for the cafe and £20,750 for the church.

CHURCHGATES HOUSE OFFICES:

The offices were built on the site in the 1980’s and offer a large space for businesses looking to grow, relocate or simply upgrade their headquarters.

The property is set across 3 floors and boasts roughly 7500sq ft of floorspace, which can easily cater for companies with a large workforce.

The offices are bright, spacious and modern, with air conditioning throughout, open plan and cellular office spaces, multiple staircases, board rooms and meeting rooms, multiple kitchens and WCs and is well laid out for quick and easy access to any part of the building.

Due to the current layout, the building could easily be split into two separate units as there are two staircases either side of the building, allowing access to the upper floors should multiple companies want to occupy the space, or should an investor look to split up and rent out smaller units.

The layout also lends itself to division into smaller serviced office spaces, which has seen a huge spike in popularity since 2020 across the country.

To the front of the offices are parking spaces for around 17 vehicles, which is currently shared with the church and cafe. It might be possible to increase this STPP, however due to it’s town centre location there is an abundance of pay and display parking in the immediate area, so staff members will not struggle to find somewhere close by.

The offices are currently Class E, however due to the size, layout and location of the property, there could be potential for residential conversion STPP.

All enquiries regarding change of use should be directed to Ipswich Borough Council.

The current rateable value for the offices (1 April 2023 to present) is £47,500.