The former Magistrates Court on Dale Street, vacant for 11 years, is set for a new lease of life after a revised planning application for an apart-hotel scheme was submitted. The Grade II listed building closed in 2015 after more than 150 years of judicial service.
Erected during the 1850s, the building comprises seven courtrooms, a basement and ground floor cells, ground and first floor waiting halls, and ancillary offices and meeting rooms. It has been empty and disused for the last decade, prompting speculation about its future.
Previous proposals and sale
Plans submitted in 2019 by YPG promised to transform the building into a 90-room hotel, but that proposal expired. Since 2021, VSHF Development, a London-based property company, submitted three further planning applications to convert the building into student accommodation.
In March 2024, VSHF secured planning permission for a 111-bed, four-star hotel with a bar and restaurant, leisure and function rooms, and accommodation units within the former cells. Those plans were not progressed, and in summer 2025, VSHF sold the building to Liverpool-based property group JSM for approximately £2m.
JSM's portfolio and plans
JSM's portfolio includes the old Bank of England building on Castle Street, home to The Ivy restaurant, the Fruit Exchange on Victoria Street, and the Cavern Walks site on Matthew Street. In March, a JSM representative said the "planning permission secured prior to acquisition remains in place" and confirmed a "full review of the building" was underway.
Six months later, a JSM spokesperson told the ECHO: "A revised planning application for an apart hotel scheme has now been submitted for the former Magistrates Court building. We are currently awaiting decisions and feedback from Liverpool City Council and heritage officers. Given the historic importance and scale of the site, we want to ensure the final proposal delivers lasting value for the city. We look forward to sharing further details once plans advance to the next stage."
