Liverpool planning update: Brewery Village and ‘Amazon’ warehouse
TWO big Liverpool schemes have been given the go-ahead by the city’s planning committee – a huge distribution base in Croxteth and the redevelopment of the Cains Brewery site.
Cains first unveiled the plans in April as a rescue plan for the business when it was struggling with low margins from supermarket contracts, but since then it has been wound up with debts of £8m.
Sudarghara and Ajmail Dusanj, who own the site, are pushing ahead with the redevelopment plans and want to turn part of the grade II-listed headquarters building on Grafton Street into a 100-bed boutique hotel, art house cinema, food market and restaurant.
The plans, drawn up by Falconer Chester Hall, include a second phase of apartments on an adjacent site. The scheme, called Brewery Village, would secure and create around 800 jobs and attract 500,000 visitors a year.
Sudarghara Dusanj said: “We are going to create a major new tourism and leisure asset for the city which will secure the future of the Cains beer brand and the grade II listed brewery for decades to come. We are now seeking development partners and operators for the cinema, hotel and supermarket to help take the scheme forward. We are particularly keen to speak to upmarket quality supermarket operators who want to take advantage of what is a clear gap in the city market.”
The planning committee has also approved a 1.2 million sq ft distribution shed at Stonebridge Cross, Croxteth, despite opposition from neighbouring Knowsley.
Developer Gallan Stoford Liverpool is behind plans for a 1.2 million sq ft distribution warehouse off the East Lancs Road in Croxteth which it said has a potential “multi-national occupier”.
The building, which has been linked with Amazon, will employ 500 full-time people in warehouse and office roles. A further 200 would work weekends and a total of 1,000 would be employed in the four weeks running up to Christmas.
