Planning committee to consider proposals for almost 400 new homes

A riverside housing scheme is back before Liverpool City Council planning committee once more next Tuesday (March 11).

Liverpool-based Carpenter Investments submitted plans in December 2023, for a stepped building, rising from 11 to 13 storeys, providing 261 apartments, fronting onto the main Wapping highway on land between Kings Dock Street and Sparling Street, at the eastern edge of the Baltic Triangle.

The scheme included one floor of office and commercial spaces.

While recommended for approval by planning officers, it was rejected due to a lack of affordable housing.

It returned to the committee in January 2024, where it won unanimous approval, subject to a legal agreement and conditions.

However, the legal agreement has not been completed.

The applicants advised that they proposed to progress a revised scheme, which was submitted on October 14, 2024.

This now increases the development’s scale to 14 storeys, providing 297 apartments, including one-, two- and three-bed units.

The overall height of the scheme, however, remains the same as the floor to ceiling heights have been reduced.

The 297 apartments comprise 79 one-bedroom, 144 two-bedroom, 48 two-bedroom duplex and 26 three-bedroom.

The commercial space provides two units within the lower ground level to be used for mixed uses.

There is a central courtyard terrace to the first floor and an external space to the fifth floor to provide amenity spaces for residents.

Also, all apartments benefit from private balconies.

There will be 60 car parking spaces located in the basement area, including 15 accessible spaces and 10 EVC bays for electric cars, as well as 327 cycle parking spaces for both residential and commercial users.

Planning officers recommend approval for the new proposals.

Plans for Grafton Rooms (Planning docs)

Another residential scheme recommended for approval involves an infamous former night club on the outskirts of the city.

Evenings at the Grafton Rooms, on West Derby Road, were dubbed ‘grab a granny’ nights when the club was in full swing.

Originally opened in 1924 as a dancehall, it converted to a nightclub in the 1970s, becoming part of local folklore.

It closed in the late 1990s. And while reopening briefly as a comedy club in 2008, it has been empty for 10 years.

Now, Newcastle-based Equans Regeneration has submitted plans to develop a six-storey 90-apartment block.

Equans proposes to demolish the Grafton Rooms building, but retain the Edwardian Neoclassical facade.

It wants to erect two apartment blocks either side of a central court space that would accommodate parking and residential amenity space.

A mix of 47 one- and 43 two-bed rent to buy apartments is proposed which would be owned and managed by Liverpool-based affordable housing group, Sovini.