AFTER a slow start, 20 Chapel Street has enjoyed a steady stream of lettings with more reportedly on the way in the coming weeks.

The £60m high-rise scheme by Rumford Investments was completed in 2006 and comprised two towers – one residential and one commercial.

In common with other commercial schemes in Liverpool at the time it benefited from £5m in gap funding from the European Objective 1 pot.

Its distinctive design has not been to everyone’s taste although it has scooped architectural awards.

The 16-storey office building brought 150,000 sq ft of grade A office space to the city’s market and has attracted a number of financial services and professional firms.

These include the Bank of Ireland, the corporate team of Barclays Bank as well as their colleagues from Barclays Wealth, accountants Ernst & Young, stockbrokers Panmure Gordon and architects Broadway Malyan.

The latest tenant is accountancy firm Jackson LLP which signed up to occupy 3,165 sq ft on the second floor of the building, having relocated its office from nearby Orleans House, in Edmund Street.

Other lettings are also in the pipeline, claims Alastair Newman, commercial marketing consultant at the scheme.

He said: “Currently we have over 25,000 sq ft of office space under offer, together with our ground floor retail unit.

“We will be making announcements regarding these lettings in the coming weeks.

“Interest is strong for the remaining 86,500sq ft of space which reflects our pro-active marketing approach and willingness to tailor rental and incentive packages to suit individual businesses needs.

“Encouragingly a number of interested parties have already undertaken second viewings.”