Davos teases resi towers, hotel for former Liverpool scrap metal site
Wheels have started turning once more on one of the most prominent plots within the Baltic Triangle, with landowner Davos Property Developments and build-to-rent developer Brickland lodging an environmental impact assessment screening opinion for the two-acre brownfield site bound by Chaloner Street, Upper Parliament Street, and Flint Street.
Based on the application submitted on Davos and Brickland’s behalf by Savills, the developer’s plans for the former Norton Scrap Metal site appear similar in principle to those that secured Liverpool city councillors’ favour in 2020.
The Norton Point proposals had been designed by MCAU. Credit: via planning documents
These 2020 plans were brought in by the now defunct Chaloner Street Developments and designed by MCAU. Dubbed Norton Point, they envisioned three residential towers of up to 27 storeys on the site, as well as a hotel, 22,200 sq ft of offices and 24,700 sq ft of flexible mixed-use space.
The Davos application, by comparison, refers to building three residential towers of 17-27 storeys in height with ground-floor commercial space, as well as a hotel, amenity space, public realm, and landscaping.
While city councillors voted in favour of the 2020 proposals, planning permission was never actually secured before the application was disposed of via Article 40 last year. The site actually went on the market shortly after receiving that go-ahead vote as well, and remained on the market until Davos acquired it in 2024 for £8.1m.
Details on the plans from Davos and Brickland will be released in due course, with a spokesperson for the two companies telling Place North West that they are continuing “to refine our approach” for the project and are in dialogue with the council.
“This is a key strategic site at the southern gateway to the city centre, with the potential to deliver an enhanced mixed-use scheme within the Baltic Triangle,” the spokesperson continued.
“The project team has been involved in a number of developments locally and has a strong understanding of the area’s character and evolving needs. We look forward to working with Liverpool City Council and other stakeholders over the coming months to bring the scheme forward.”
You can view the screening application by searching reference 26EIA/1601 on Liverpool City Council’s planning portal.
To view the 2020 plans, use reference 20F/0087.
Davos, which is owned by Home Bargains founder Tom Morris, has become a real estate power player in the past few years in Liverpool. In addition to being behind the £1.2bn Kings skyscraper district, the company has also recently secured planning committee green lights for 258 apartments in the Baltic Triangle and 17 luxury flats by Sefton Park.
Where would this city be without Tom Morris? The man should be carried down Castle Street on the shoulders of a grateful public.
By Anonymous
“You too could live in a cheaply built flat with a huge ‘management charge’ in a plot surrounded by warehouses, industry, and busy roads”
These things do sell themselves !
By John Smith
The Chaloner Street people don’t build they buy land, apply for planning permission and sells on, nothing illegal but what an easy way to make money, for some. Glad now that a serious developer, Davos, have the site and we should see a quality build in an area South of the city centre earmarked for talls. How many years will this take to get through planning and Gateway 2, who knows, but if the Mayor starts his much publicised Baltic Station now any new residents here will benefit greatly from it.
By Anonymous
Tom Morris and his team should be lauded they are singlehandedly transforming our city. Whilst he is very low key and avoids publicity his contribution is immense add to that he is doing this in his own city its brilliant we should acknowledge this and support Davos . In comparison compare the contribution of LCC and Mr. Rotherham ? Que tumble weed
By Paul - Woolton
Wasn’t impressed with previous plans for this site. I hope for a new classier design. I think the original plans had the tallest tower at 32 storeys. Can’t they push for a slightly taller than 27 storeys? I remember many years ago certain councillors talking about , what they called, a Southern cluster of talls in the city centre. Even councillors who would normally be against tall buildings were in support of the idea stating that that part of town felt flat or something along those lines. Be nice if they pushed for slightly taller (32 storeys) but more importantly I hope for much better/improved designs.
By Anonymous
Original plans had a 32-storey tower but that was scaled back before the application went to committee.
As a note, the image in the story is of the 2020 proposals, not what Davos and Brickland are working up. Haven’t seen sight of those yet (but, if you’d like to send some my way Davos and Brickland, I wouldn’t say no…)
By Julia Hatmaker