Part of a former Court-house in Bradford city centre is being transformed into a state-of-the-art business centre with serviced offices.

Builders are in the process of converting the Grade II-listed Victorian building on Manor Row and are aiming to complete the project by March.

The building once formed the barristers’ chambers for the adjoining County Court, and later became an office for the Inland Revenue.

Now it is being turned into a stylish office building, to be used either by established businesses looking for flexible space, or start-up businesses seeking serviced offices.

The building will be called Malik House to reflect the name of the Bradford family spearheading the project.

Meanwhile, the main courthouse building next door is being converted into apartments by a separate company.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the Malik House scheme, stating that flexible space for small and medium sized businesses was still in demand, despite the recession.

Project bosses said the new business centre would offer state-of-the-art technology, including free WiFi broadband and meeting rooms.

Video conferencing facilities will be available on a pay-as-you-go basis and the conference room will contain a traditional chandelier.

Malik House will also offer a virtual office facility as a cost-effective way of helping small businesses operate in a professional manner.

Virtual office gives customers a whole package of services, including a premium city centre business address, mail-forwarding to any address in the world, telephone answering in their company name, plus SMS or e-mail message forwarding.

People wanting to access the building will do so by using biometric technology – a high-tech fingerprint identification system that means there is no risk of stolen key fobs or copied or forgotten keys.

Each office will benefit from a buzzbar electrical system, so if people decide to move desks or computers, the sockets can also be moved.

The building will include a cafe on the ground floor and studio space on the first floor that could potentially be used for dance classes.

Sheraz Malik, a 26-year-old property developer from Heaton, Bradford, said: “Originally, when we bought the property, it was quite an eyesore.

“We are creating a business centre with 13 serviced offices. There are partition walls so, if someone came in and wanted a bigger space, we could move a wall. Altogether, there is 4,000 sq ft of serviced office space.

“My family have been in the property business for a long time, mostly investments in the Manchester area. But, with me being from Bradford, we felt we wanted to start doing more in the Bradford area.”

Mr Malik said the conversion of the building was costing between £350,000 and £400,000 and added that it was the biggest project he had undertaken to date.

The front of the building has been cleaned using a stonewashing technique, while the wooden window frames and the banister inside the building have also been restored.

Mr Malik said: “It’s an impressive Grade II-listed building showcasing some of the beauties of early Victorian architecture on the exterior, with all the benefits of high-speed up-to-date technology on the interior.

“We have already had quite a lot of positive feedback and the estate agents reckon it could be one of the most popular office developments in Bradford city centre.”

Mike Cartwright, of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said: “Business space for small and medium-sized companies is still in demand, even in the recession.

“Start-ups and small owner/proprietor-type businesses are always looking for more choice and flexibility. The fact this development is so close to the city centre is an added bonus.

“Any retention or creation of office space is to be welcomed, especially in these difficult and challenging times. I take my hat off to him and hope the project is a success.”

Mr Cartwright said the issue of what to do with the high number of listed buildings in Bradford had been a recent topic of discussion for the Bradford Property Forum.

He said: “It’s a big issue because these buildings should not be wrapped in cotton wool and should be brought back into use, but retaining the heritage of buildings wherever possible.

“With that in mind, this is a positive and timely development.”