The £2m restoration of a former Morecambe pub and nightclub is nearing its end and Beyond Radio has been to take a look inside.
Work on The Battery luxury apartments complex is expected to be completed by the summer, says owner and developer Ian Bond.
Ian bought The Battery in 2014, saving it from demolition, and started renovations in 2016.
The building dates back to the mid-1800s and was previously a pub and hotel, as well as home to popular '80s and '90s nightclub Harvey's and the Sandylands House office block.
The first apartments, available to rent from £850 per month, should be ready in a couple of months.
LISTEN to our interview with Ian Bond

"We've put a lot of love and care into putting it back to how it should be," said Ian, who also owns the nearby Alhambra and former Trinity Methodist Church.
"It's such a historic building and holds such a prominent position. It's so important to give it all that care and attention it hasn't had for such a long time.
"Somebody said it's a bookend to the Promenade, because it does have that position, looking right along the Promenade."

Ian said the six-year project has "thrown up a lot of challenges".
"I totally underestimated it," he said.
"We've spent a lot of money restoring stonework and brickwork, restoring it back to former glory. We've spent tens of thousands on the staircase.
"I've probably doubled my budget from when we started, in terms of cost and time, but it's worth it.

"It's over one and a half million now and by the time we've finished, it will be approaching two million by the time we've finished. So it's a lot of money, but it will be around for a long long time. We've used a lot of good quality people and products.
"It's been really really difficult. Lockdown was tough. You couldn't get building materials. Prices started going up. Projects were on hold. Now there's a massive shortage of materials. Some timber products have probably doubled in the past two years.
"The cost of living is tough for everybody. Utility costs are frightening, so we've tried to answer that with this project. We've super-insulated the building, made it super-efficient. We hope the overheads for being here will be fairly low."


Ian said there has already been interest in the apartments in the four-floor building, which he will be offering as a mixture of buy-to-let and holiday flats.
The Battery has also been used recently as a location for filming the ITV crime drama series The Bay.
Once the work is finished, Ian hopes to have a well-earned break and then start work on the derelict church (pictured below), which he hopes can become a pub-restaurant.



Lancaster youth charity launches 10 Challenges campaign
£30k campaign launched for new Lancaster community farm
Carnforth chiropodist honours her late husband with clinic fundraiser
Lancaster City Council agrees 2.99 per cent rise in Council tax share
Lancashire Police’s share of Council tax to rise by 5.4 per cent
Guys Thatched Hamlet closes suddenly after 46 years
Teenager spared jail for causing death of newborn child in Morecambe
Morecambe Town Council agrees budget and 2.46 per cent rise in Council tax share
Builders of new Lancaster housing development offer £2k cash pot to community groups
Lancaster centre welcomes mayor for opening of new community kitchen
Lancaster shop to close as high street gaming chain faces administration
Jim Bentley returns for second spell as Morecambe FC manager
Ashvir Singh Johal’s reign as Morecambe manager comes to an end
Lancaster writer's ghost story of Morecambe to be voiced by acting legend on Radio 4
Change of name announced for popular Morecambe bar
Opening announced for new Morecambe bistro inside former post office
Health watchdog report shows improvements to services at Royal Lancaster Infirmary
LISTEN: How Leo's Gym is making a difference in memory of young Morecambe boxer
LISTEN: Lancaster set to celebrate Chinese New Year
Lancaster’s Vue Cinema under new ownership

