Councillors approve housing, hotel and student accommodation schemes

Three key property schemes were unanimously approved by Liverpool City Council planning committee today (April 25).

But plans to launch a floating restaurant in the city centre were withdrawn at the last minute.

The committee approved plans for student accommodation over eight, 10 and 11 storeys, in Central Ward.

The scheme comprises 218 studios with 10 cluster apartments, totalling 268 bedspaces together with a ground floor commercial unit.

The land, at Oldham Place in the city centre, is currently cleared.

Previous planning consents for the site include a six-storey and an eight-storey scheme for student accommodation, granted in both March 2016 and November 2018, respectively.

Planning officers said the development will enable the regeneration of a derelict site that is important to the continued redevelopment of the Oldham Street area and will contribute to the development of Liverpool’s ‘knowledge sector’ by providing modern student accommodation in close proximity to both the main university sites and key facilities and attractions of Liverpool city centre.

Councillors also unanimously approved plans to convert the former the Cavern Walks shopping centre in the Cavern Quarter into a new hotel scheme, providing 150 rooms, as well as retail units.

The site was previously a shopping centre and office space on the upper floors.

The proposal is effectively a revision to a previously approved redevelopment for hotel use, with a different internal configuration.

The main changes include an increase in the number of bedrooms on site to 150 rooms from 125 rooms originally approved, minor changes to the entrance location with the main entrance now to be sited off Harrington Street, and a secondary entrance from Mathew Street, a reduction in room sizes, in terms of floor area, to the middle of the building, additional rooms within the core of the building, and the introduction of a function suite at first floor level.

The suites are a mix of sizes, ranging from six beds to one bed within each room.

Planning officers said in the report to councillors: “It is considered that the principle of hotel accommodation is acceptable in this location is acceptable.”

The committee unanimously waved through an application to recommence work in the Riverside Ward to provide 64 new homes.

The applicant, Torus62 Development, wants to construct a part 10-, nine- and seven-storey building to provide 64 self-contained apartments, comprising 27 one-bed and 37 two-bed units.

Work had previously begun on site in 2020, but was halted after contractor, Crossfield Construction, went into liquidation in April 2022.

The current scheme is an extension on the previous plans to build 56 apartments.

Due to the time period that has elapsed since the original report was written, the application needed to be reconsidered having regard to any changed circumstances, particularly in relation to national and local planning policy.

However, plans to convert the former decommissioned Mersey Ferry, The Royal Daffodil, to a hospitality venue, moored in Canning Dock, part of the Royal Albert Dock complex, were withdrawn due to access issues.

Applicant, Liverpool City Ship, wants to create a mixed-use restaurant, bar and event space to the promenade deck and main deck, a mixed-use restaurant, bar and event space, or 13 guest accommodation rooms to the lower deck, and mixed-use restaurant, bar and event space to part of the bridge deck with the provision of a heritage museum space to the wheelhouse area of the bridge deck.

The aim is for the entire vessel to serve a mixture of uses for events such as corporate events, conferences, weddings, exhibitions, and live music events.