MERSEYTRAVEL has signed a 30-year lease in one of Liverpool’s biggest commercial property deals in years.

The organisation will move to Neptune Developments and Countryside Properties’ Mann Island site.

Merseytravel hopes to move into the 11-storey 140,000 sq ft building, designed to some of the country’s highest environmental and accessibility standards, in November 2010.

The new headquarters, which will cost around £46m to build, will bring Merseytravel staff from four sites into one location for the first time.

Last night Merseytravel would not to disclose how much rent it would be paying, saying it was commercially sensitive.

Cllr Mark Dowd, chairman of Merseytravel, said: “This is a landmark deal and one that will bring all our staff together in one central location.

“It will mean we are in the heart of the city and situated right next to all our major assets, the rail and bus network, the Mersey Tunnels and the Mersey Ferries.”

As well as the commercial office building next to the Strand, the £135m scheme includes two striking granite buildings with apartments, shops, restaurants and a series of sheltered public spaces.

Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune Developments, added: “This is one of the biggest commercial property deals in the country and certainly the biggest office letting in Liverpool for several years.”