Approval tipped for Molyneux’s 75-bed Liverpool PBSA
City councillors will weigh in on the Fabric District student accommodation project, a development that has shrunk from 99 beds to 75 after a series of fire regulation-related tweaks.
Liverpool City Council members had voted in favour of the Gildart Street scheme last year, subject to the signing of a legal agreement. However, changing fire regulations prior to the agreement being signed has led to a slight redesign – thus the application’s return to committee next week.
- BECOME A GATEWAY PRO: Book your ticket to Building Safety Act: What have we learned and what comes next?
The project was seven storeys in height, with a basement level and accommodation on the top floor. It would have had 99 beds and a ground-floor commercial unit.
Now, the top-floor accommodation and the basement level have been removed. The scheme would now deliver 75 bedspaces, spread out amongst 15 studios and 10 six-bed cluster flats. A 1,100 sq ft commercial unit is still included. There would also be a gym, workspaces, a cinema, and a roof terrace.
Like before, there is no car parking provided, with cycle storage provided instead.
Revival Architecture is behind the designs for the PBSA. The project team also includes Baltic PDC and AJF Engineering Consultants.
To learn more about the application, search reference number 23F/3075 on Liverpool City Council’s planning portal.
Reduced in height just like everything else in Liverpool reduced value and developments
By Anonymous
This has been rumbling on since December 2023, and on the planning docs the fire inspection report from October 2024 didn’t appear to highlight any relevant problems with the project.
It seems that it is the new building safety regs causing this redesign, so this, added to the legendary snail’s pace of the Liverpool Planners, has caused severe delays to this relatively small scheme.
Raynor will never reach her homes target at this rate.
By Anonymous
So now, according to the mischief making Liverpool Echo, this site may be subject to an archaeological dig/investigation, which could hold up the planned scheme.
Amazing that this site has been available for some time during which these historians could’ve got on with their work, but no, they wait till a developer announces their plans and then publicise their intentions.
By Anonymous
There’s so much student accommodation in the city and rent for normal flats is skyrocketing! Build more normal flats!!
By Anonymous
@Anon 5.29pm, you feel there’s too much student accommodation in Liverpool, well no one is stopping other developers build what you term ” normal flats”. Do you think if student developments were stopped we would get more of your “normal flats” built, well evidence tells us we won’t.
Anyway other cities like Leeds, Mcr, etc have far more student flats than we do, and in many cases these students keep neighbourhoods vibrant and economically active.
By Anonymous
@5:29 pm By Anonymous, I understand what you are saying, PBSA has higher profit margins so is easier to achieve and if there’s demand then developers will build it. The frustration is there’s not enough other types of housing being built as you say. We need more city centre good sized flats, townhouses, terraces and semi & detached housing all over the city. Working people need affordable homes and the city has plenty of vacant houses and plots that could easily provide this while regenerating the city and boosting the economy.
By GetItBuilt!