A former church building in Liverpool’s Fabric District could be repurposed as offices for a historic company that makes headgear for the police and armed services.
A block at Kempston Street that was previously used as a place of worship is now the subject of a planning application to Liverpool Council. Applicant Richard Jennions, of Try and Lilly, is seeking the local authority’s approval to convert the site into storage in its ground floor setting, with ancillary offices above.
Try and Lilly’s existing base is located just doors away on Kempston Street, with the new venture representing an expansion of the business’s footprint in the city. The company manufactures headwear and technical textiles goods for customers around the world. Their uniform caps are made in the city and are worn by police, military and service personnel across the world.
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The business has been run by the same family since 1958, having first been established in 1864. The unit in question is currently being used as a storage facility, having previously been occupied by Logos Christian Centre International as a church.
It was one of two facilities the centre operated in the North West, with a similar location in Manchester. Liverpool Council’s environmental services department had also occupied the site up until 2015.
The layout of the building would remain unchanged apart from internal alterations including the installation of a downstairs accessible toilet and removal of ramp which would make access to the building difficult. The main entrance to the building would be widened.
According to a design and access statement submitted with the application, the building would not typically be opened to the general public and it is not considered the amendments to the site would generate a considerable amount of traffic. The work of Try and Lilly and its dozens of staff was recognised in a Royal visit by Princess Anne in 2020.
The site is located doors down from a building that was named in a report last month as one of more than 120 public buildings in Liverpool containing asbestos. A final date for the proposals to be considered by the local authority’s planning department has yet to be confirmed.
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