City centre street to close as £39m regeneration scheme starts

LIME Street in Liverpool is to close for up to three weeks from Tuesday (August 30) for work to begin on a £39m regeneration scheme.

Liverpool City Council’s scheme, in partnership with Neptune Developments, includes a hotel, shops, restaurants and student accommodation between the Crown and Vine Pubs which will create more than 300 jobs.

The work getting underway will see the remaining frontages on Lime Street taken down as part of the clearance of the site and will also mean the closure of Bolton Street.

Construction will then begin on the new buildings – with the project scheduled for completion in two years.

Deputy Mayor, Cllr Ann O’Byrne, said: “Lime Street has been neglected for far too long and this scheme will see it brought back to life, creating much needed new jobs and a fitting gateway on one of the main routes into the city.

“We know that the road closure will cause disruption for motorists and commuters but it is absolutely vital to the project. Once this work is complete and the site is cleared, we will be able to get on with the construction side of the development and we are confident there will be no need for further full closures.

“This is an exciting time for the area as we crack on with a scheme which will help transform the fortunes of Lime Street and make it part of the city that we can all be proud of.”
 
Developers are working with the city council to reflect the former Futurist cinema – which could not be saved because of its poor structural condition – in the development.

A planning application is also expected to be submitted shortly to restore the ABC Cinema and transform the listed Art Deco building into a major live music venue and TV studio.
 
The diversion routes during the road closure will be:
For traffic travelling from the south: Berry Street, Leece Street, Rodney Street, Clarence Street, Russell Street, Seymour Street, London Road and Lime Street.

For traffic travelling from the north: London Road, Seymour Street, Russell Street, Clarence Street, Rodney Street and Leece Street.

Traffic travelling along St Anne Street and Pembroke Place: Seymour Street, Russell Street, Clarence Street, Rodney Street and Leece Street.

Traffic travelling up St Johns Lane: Lime Street, Commutation Row, Islington, Hunter Street, St Anne Street, Norton Street, Seymour Street, Russell Street, Clarence Street, Rodney Street and Leece Street.

For motorists on Lime Street (between London Road and Georges Place) who have missed the advanced signage, the alternative route is: right onto St Georges Place/St Johns Lane, Whitechapel, right onto Victoria Street, Byrom Street, right onto Hunter Street, right onto Norton Street, Seymour Street, Russell Street, Clarence Street, Rodney Street and Leece Street.

There is a secondary diversion route for motorists on Renshaw Street who have missed the advanced diversion signs on Berry Street: Copperas Hill, Seymour Street, London Road and Lime Street.

Access to St John’s Shopping Centre car park will be maintained.