Benmore proposes £30m leisure scheme for Speke

PLANS have been submitted for the £30m first phase of the redevelopment of one of Liverpool’s most deprived areas.

Developer Benmore Group is planning to redevelop a 15-acre brownfield site next to the New Mersey Retail Park in Speke into a leisure and retail park that would include hotels, a gym, restaurants and a multi-screen cinema.

The developer anticipates that if plans are approved, the project could create around 325 permanent jobs and contribute around £5.5m in gross value added to the city-region’s economy once it completes by the end of 2012. Around 400 jobs would also be created during the construction phase.

The site is on a key route for those travelling into Liverpool from the airport and from Cheshire and North Wales.

Liverpool City Council leader Joe Anderson welcomed Benmore’s application, coming just a few days after its own announcement last week that it is to build a £40m exhibition centre next to ACC Liverpool at Kings Dock.

“Two major development announcements in just over a week are proof that Liverpool is a city that continues to make major strides and a city where businesses can realise their ambitions,” said Anderson.

“This scheme would create jobs for local people in an area of the city where they are needed and would deliver a new leisure and entertainment centre for thousands of families to use every week.

David Burrows, Chief Executive at Benmore, said: “This development is wholly positive for the ongoing renaissance of the Speke/Garston area and will complement existing developments and bring activity to the area during the evenings.

“We conducted a major consultation exercise with local people and received overwhelmingly positive feedback to our plans from more than a thousand residents.

“The city council has been extremely supportive of our plans and has gone about its business with a refreshing, professional and extremely positive can-do attitude. We are committed to continuing to work with them to ensure local people can access the employment opportunities this will present.”

Benmore’s scheme has been designed by Liverpool architectural practice Falconer Chester Hall.