New tower for Sage landmark

The Sage Tower in Frederick Drive, Walton has been empty for 19 years, but now work is set to begin to renovate the 17 -metre high Victorian building.

The work is being planned by Azar Iqbal and Mohammed Amjad, from Stone Investments.

Mr Iqbal said retaining the tower’s character was vital for the developers.

He said: “We wanted to keep the look of the building as it was, and the council were keen as well.

“The Sage and Co sign will be brought back to its former glory.”

Mr Iqbal and Mr Amjad have been given permission to transform the tower into four flats - two with two bedrooms, and two with one bedroom.

Mr Iqbal said: “We will be making luxury flats.

“The main tower is six storeys high, and we will be adding an extension, which is four storeys.

“The flats will run across both the original and the new tower.

“There will also be six parking bays.

“There has been a lot of hard work to get to this stage, but it will be worth it.

“With the tower empty at the moment, it is no good to anyone.

“We think it will be about six months to a year before it is completed.”

The 17-metre high tower was part of the so-called “forgotten factory” used by Perkins to build aeroplanes during the First World War.

It was designed by Peterborough architect Alan Riddle in 1912. The factory was sold for £11.7 million in 1989 to The Parkfield Group, operating as Triplex, and finally closed down in 2000.

The buildings that made up the factory became derelict and most were demolished in 2010 leaving only the The iconic Sages Factory Water Tower. A new housing estate was built in 2014 with 117 homes.