Developer seeks to kick-start stalled scheme with plans for £55m project
Liverpool-based Elliot Group is to submit proposals to regenerate a large vacant site and neighbouring industrial estate in Dingle following approval by Liverpool City Council’s cabinet of a motion to sell the developer the land.
The move comes after the council sought the developer’s input for the stalled scheme around St James church and the famous Flat Iron site when two previous proposals failed to get off the ground.
Submission of the planning application follows four separate consultations with local residents and councillors in the period up to the cabinet meeting on Friday, October 25.
If the application is approved it will see two brownfield sites on the Southern boundary of the city’s Baltic tech district comprehensively regenerated.
Proposals for the grassed-over Flat Iron site on the West side of St James Place include a new public park and children’s play area and investment in existing green space along Gore Street.
Around 220 apartments and townhouses are proposed in two blocks for the site behind the Cains Brewery on Upper Stanhope Street.
The development will also include 10,000 sq ft of new workspace to satisfy demand from the area’s growing digital industries.
On the East side of St James Place, facing Head Street, a neglected industrial estate will be demolished and replaced with a mix of 130 town houses and apartments.
Just six per cent of the site’s green space will be lost under the proposals, says developer Elliot Lawless, while the quality of the public realm will be vastly improved.
“We’ve had to put our thinking caps on here to deliver a scheme that is right for the neighbourhood,” he said.
“The local community and Cllr Munby have been extremely helpful in guiding us towards an appropriate solution and I’m delighted that we can offer such a comprehensive package with green space at the heart of the masterplan.
“In the three consultation events and a walk-around, local people were clear about the type and scale of housing they wanted so we’ve reduced the quantity of homes by 25% and upped our investment in open space.”
The developer is seeking permission to refurbish and re-design the existing ‘pocket park’ on Gore Street. The overwhelming majority of the mature trees on the site would be retained and replacements planted for those that would be lost.
Architect Alastair Shepherd of Falconer Chester Hall, who led the public meetings with local residents, says the scheme seeks to address their key concerns in an imaginative way.
“People told us that fly tipping and anti-social behaviour were a real issue. The green spaces in their current form aren’t safe or an enjoyable place to spend time, so a combination of enhanced management and the benefits of passive surveillance from new residents will help deal with that.
“The community also made practical suggestions to help maintain key views and reduce massing, which we have been able to take on board.”
An overhead view of the plans
Earlier proposals had included a fourth block of apartments on the Southern boundary of the site and higher buildings on Head Street, but discussions with local residents have seen these removed and substantially reduced in height, respectively.
“It is really important that we listen to people and take account of their views,” said Elliot Lawless.
“This is about adding value to the local area in a way which enhances it for existing residents as much as for the new ones who will be attracted to live and work here.”
During the process discussions were held with transport authorities to ensure that the scheme could not jeopardise proposals for the re-opening of the neighbouring St James underground station.
Views were also sought from representatives of the Baltic creative industries to ensure that the commercial space was suitable for the needs of the area’s employers.
A planning application for the £55m development is expected to be submitted during December.
