Planning officers recommend approval for city centre hotel scheme
Liverpool City Council’s planning committee will consider proposals to create an 81-room hotel in the city centre at its meeting next Tuesday (August 20).
JSM Group, the Liverpool-based developer, is behind the plans for The Fruit Exchange, on Victoria Street which include internal and external alterations for the hotel, with associated restaurant and bar and an additional bar to first floor on Mathew Street, at the rear, as an extension to an existing Mathew Street bar.
The proposal excludes the existing bars/clubs situated at ground floor and basement level.
JSM Group obtained planning permission for an 85-bed hotel development in April 2020, but the approval has now expired.
The main change for the updated application includes the omission of four bedrooms at upper ground level behind part of the former main Auction Hall and the insertion of an ancillary bar area.
The Grade II-listed site was originally built as a railway goods depot in 1888, which was converted into a fruit exchange in 1923, boasting two historic auction rooms.
It was put on the market in 1992 for sale, or demolition.
More recently, while the ground floor and basements are in use for bars/clubs, the upper floors remain vacant and in a dilapidated condition.
Planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval, saying it will facilitate the viable re-use of valued heritage assests and enable the efficient regeneration of a long-term vacant site, which will create a vibrant and inviting local environment.
