A symbol of the city’s regeneration

Jul 5 2007 by Debbie Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

Debbie Johnson views a cosy duplex in Duke Street

COMPANY director John Blythe said he always wanted to run his own business – and now he has two.

John, now 37, runs Regener8 and Accommod8, both based in Liverpool. The former specialises in redeveloping, refurbishing and converting period properties, and the latter offers high-quality student accommodation.

It was when he was still a student himself that he decided to take a risk on both himself and Liverpool – by using his student loan to put a deposit down on his first house, in Kensington.

His gamble paid off.

One of the areas of Liverpool that has seen the greatest change for the better is around Duke Street, where John makes his home.

He lives in a two-bedroomed duplex apartment in Merchants’ House, in Dukes Terrace.

The complex is part conversion, part sympathetic new-build, in one of the city’s most historic areas.

John says: “I have three photos in my apartment, looking up towards the very imposing Anglican Cathedral, and in the foreground is this derelict terrace. It looks much different now. You do get a real sense that the whole area is on the up, especially with all the new developments going on.

“I always call Liverpool a dynamic city because it changes so much – much faster than other cities who have perhaps not suffered as much in the past.”

John likes to think that he has played his part in helping that regeneration, by buying and renovating often derelict properties and making them liveable again.

The student accommodation business, in particular, is also extremely important to him.

He says: “Students are an essential part of the mix of this city, both economically and in terms of their vibrancy. We provide student accommodation of a really high standard, and we also try and give them guidance in general and try to look after them a bit – a lot are young people living away from home in a big city for the first time.

“We have tenants from all over the UK and abroad, and it is good to give them a positive impression of the city to take away with them.”

John himself came here as a student – and stayed. His home in Duke Street offers him a comfortable place to live, combined with a fantastic location. He says: “It is a great place to live. The apartment feels spacious compared to a lot of others, I am five minutes away from work, and near to all the great restaurants and places like FACT and the theatres.”

The open-plan living/dining area has sash windows that look out over Duke Street itself. The whole apartment is decorated in neutral tones, with the above- mentioned photos of Duke Street past hanging on the walls.

A dominant feature of the room is a steel spiral staircase, which leads up to one of the bedrooms.

John says: “There is a landing up there, and the guest room. Although I tend to use it as a dressing room. The main bedroom is downstairs, again painted in neutral tones, with plain and simple white bed linens.”

The kitchen of the apartment comes with stylish brushed aluminium units and is fully equipped with integrated appliances – although John admits he rarely uses it.

He says: “I can cook – I just choose not to! I work long hours, I eat out a lot, and do a lot of watersports and sailing at the weekend.”

John’s love of the water has led him to make the move from his Duke Street apartment – to a townhouse at Liverpool Marina.

He says: “I’ve loved living here for the last couple of years, but at the end of the month I’m moving to a townhouse down by the water. It is also in a fantastic location – and I’ll have a garage for all my outdoor sports equipment as well.”

FOR further information on John’s businesses, see www.regener8.biz or www.accommod8.biz