Warrington Blind Society building to become luxury apartments

The vacant property at 4 Museum Street has been bought by Pod Property Group, which is submitting planning applications to convert it into a range of one and two-bedroom apartments.

Warrington Blind Society, now renamed Warrington Visually Impaired People, was founded in Museum Street in 1923, where it provided a full range of services for blind and partially sighted people.

These included recreational and social activities, support and advice, and equipment to aid independence.

Inside 4 Museum Street

In 2012, the charity moved to the Fairfield and Howley Centre and, after a brief stint as the home of a theatre group, 4 Museum Street was left empty.

Now, Pod Property Group, based in Wilson Patten Street, have bought the site in the hope of preserving the historic building.

A spokesperson for Pod Property Group said: "With the amount of fantastic regeneration happening right now in the town centre we feel that by taking on this sad and slightly deteriorating building we would be playing a very small part in that regeneration process.

"The properties in Museum Street were built around 1877.

Inside 4 Museum Street

"Some properties in that area are on the national heritage list for England as grade 11 listed buildings.

"We are privileged to be in a position to be able to preserve a little of the town's Victorian heritage.

"There are some lovely old buildings in the Cultural Quarter that deserve to be re-used, up-cycled or regenerated before they fall into complete dis-repair and disappear altogether."

Inside 4 Museum Street

Pod Property Group, which specialised in residential and commercial property, has provided housing for a whole variety of tenants in and around Warrington town centre.

Director Shehdaz Khan is hoping the Museum Street apartments will be ready in six months, depending on the planning process.