Developer closing in on £40m deal for new hotel
THE £40m transformation of Liverpool’s historic Wolstenholme Square has received a further boost after its developer has secured a neighbouring site for a major new boutique hotel.
Elliot Group has acquired a former surface car park on Seel Street and negotiations with a well-known hotel operator to occupy a 116 room hotel on the site are nearly complete. The scheme will have a development value of £20m when completed.
The Falconer Chester Hall-designed scheme makes extensive use of brick to fit in with the neighbouring Georgian and Victorian buildings, but the designs are still subject to final review, according to Elliot Group’s Elliot Lawless.
He said: “We’re participating in a design workshop with Liverpool City Council this week to test our assumptions and see if we can collectively identify improvements.
“It’s a really interesting design, particularly internally, as it will give the operator the flexibility to offer both single rooms or serviced suites.
“The hotel will offer the city’s first rooftop pool and spa and our proposed operator is perfect for this neighbourhood, which is funky and intensely urban.
“We expect to conclude negotiations with them shortly.”
The hotel will back on to Wolstenholme Square’s block B and is 20 yards from the new passageway being punched through from the square to Seel Street, which is designed to boost permeability and create more active frontages.
Once design discussions have been concluded with Liverpool council it is expected that a planning application will be submitted in early March.
Elliot Group is primarily a residential developer and has more than £325m of projects in planning and underway in Liverpool, including sites at Heap’s Mill, Queensland Place and Upper Parliament Street.
The company recently announced its plans for a £50m development in Liverpool’s Baltic neighbourhood and is currently exploring development opportunities in Manchester and Leeds.
