Hull City Council plan to restore William Booth House’s “full residential use” after purchasing the building for £1.
In February 2024, the council bought the former rough sleepers’ hotel from the Salvation Army for a fee of just £1 after the Christian charity decommissioned the building the previous year, in April 2023.
The building is located where Ferensway meets the A63, and is therefore just a stone’s throw from the major A63 Castle Street project that seeks to connect Ferensway with Commercial Road via a new underpass beneath the A63.
Having now owned the building for over a year, the council have said they plan to bring the building into “full residential use” to aid the city’s housing needs.
A Hull City Council spokesperson said: “In light of the recent announcement to extend the Homes England primary grants programme, Hull City Council is preparing to submit a grant funding application to Homes England to bring the building back into full residential use which will help address Hull’s housing needs.
“Without such grants it is not often possible to bring affordable housing development forward. These plans would be subject to consultation with the local community. Part of the building continues to be used to accommodate rough sleepers during the winter and periods of severe weather.”
Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter