Derwent seeks Edge Lane planning tweaks
DERWENT Holdings has applied to alter a raft of planning conditions with the aim of bringing forward the start date for its £200m Edge Lane Retail Park scheme in Liverpool.
The Isle of Man-based group wants to vary 13 conditions attached to the planning consent it won from Liverpool City Council in December 2010.
The scheme will redevelop Edge Lane Retail Park but also take in some surrounding land, including a park, to create 800,000 sq ft of commercial, retail and leisure units and 1,680 parking places.
Derwent, owned by tycoon Albert Gubay, had hoped to get started on the scheme shortly after winning planning approval but has blamed the wider economy for the delays.
If approved, the amendments will allow Derwent to begin part of the scheme without providing information on a range of issues from landscaping to surface water regulation. It is hoping to start on four retail units in January at the latest.
Mark Aylward, a director of Manchester planning consultancy DPP, said: “All we’re looking to do is bring forward part of the site much more quickly to allow us to get on site by Christmas or early in the new year.
“We’re working with the city council on some modest revisions to allow us to get on site more quickly.”
He added: “We’ve got to provide a very extensive amount of background information across 25 acres of land before we can start anything at all. We’re trying to make sure we’re only obliged to provide information relating to this part of the scheme.”
