Liverpool approves clearing works for £200m city centre scheme

Liverpool City Council has given the green light to a £4.2m land clearing scheme to pave the way for a £200m Grade A office space development in Liverpool city centre.

The works, set to be undertaken by contractor Willmott Dixon, will aim to remediate land around Bixteth Street Gardens in Liverpool’s commercial district.

The project, which will take around eight months, will make space for an earmarked 400,000 square foot redevelopment of Pall Mall Exchange.

The new Pall Mall scheme, proposed by property developers Kier Property and CTP Limited, will see the construction of three new office buildings, a hotel, and 80,200 square ft of public space, centred around a new green square.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: ‘The proposed Pall Mall scheme is of huge importance to the development of our commercial district as we need Grade A office space to attract companies and highly skilled jobs to the city.

‘I’m delighted we have the green light to begin clearing the site in readiness for the next stage of this scheme which, if approved, will deliver a much-needed high-quality green square and new public realm for workers and residents to enjoy throughout the year.

‘Judging by the designs it would set a new benchmark for our open spaces and help shape the wider development of the district.’

The Pall Mall scheme is seen as desirable for Liverpool’s commercial district as it will relieve its shortage of Grade A office space, in a move the council hopes will create over 1,800 jobs.

The £4.2m enabling works will include a £1.25m scheme to relocate a substation, which will be operational by March 2020 to serve the future development.

Tom Gilman, managing director of Kier Property (North), said: ‘Liverpool City Council’s reclamation and enabling works are essential to the development of the site which will provide a new and enhanced space for those working, living and visiting the city centre.

‘We have been working hard with our team, other stakeholders and vitally the local community, to progress our development plans and look forward to submitting our planning application for the first phase of development shortly.’

The agreed replacement of Bixteth Street Gardens has attracted criticism from local groups and some of the city’s councillors, who have argued that the city cannot afford to lose green space, especially the area’s 52 large, mature trees.

The council and developers have said that the Pall Mall project will see the number of trees in the area doubled and will lead to an overall increase in the amount of public space.

At the time of writing, an online petition to save Bixteth Street Gardens has attracted around 1,800 signatures.

Kier Property and CTP are expected to submit a planning application to Liverpool City Council for the three-phase Pall Mall development shortly.