Demolitions afoot in Liverpool industrial market

Royal London Property Pension Fund has secured permission to knock down the “Big Foot” Rolls-Royce factory off Dunnings Bridge Road, while Garston Industrial Estate is also in line to be cleared.

Sefton Council has this week approved the plans put forward by Turley on behalf of RPPF to clear the Atlantic Park site. In line for demolition are the 220,000 sq ft Big F2T building, Atlantic House, Caspian House and two electricity substations.

Turley said that with an outline planning consent still in place for an employment park at the Netherton site, demolition is sought in order to facilitate development.

The firm said there is a “pressing need to demolish Big Foot at the earliest possible opportunity and ensure the site is development-ready”.

In its prior notification documents, Turley had proposed a two-phase demolition. Phase one would include erecting scaffolding around Big Foot while asbestos is removed, during which time the other buildings will come down.

Phase two will see Big Foot itself demolished, around 15 years after the last gas turbines were made at the site. Curtins is also working on the project. The overall timescale is eight to ten months.

In Liverpool itself, Savills has filed its own prior notification application ahead of a proposed demolition.

Acting for client MREF V, care of Peloton Real Estate, Savills has applied to Liverpool City Council to clear the three remaining buildings at Garston Industrial Estate, on Blackburne Street.

Once the site is cleared to slab level and secured, a further application will seek a change of use, to allow it to be used for open storage employment purposes.