Green light for Liverpool hotel conversion
Promenade Estates has received consent to convert its listed headquarters into a boutique hotel, with Liverpool’s planning committee also approving a commercial scheme at Estuary Point.
The St Johns House hotel project will see the Sir Alfred Waterhouse-designed building converted to a 43-bedroom facility, with views across St John’s Gardens to St George’s Hall and the Walker Art Gallery.
Number 2 Queen Square was formerly the regional headquarters for Pearl Assurance and adjoins the Marriot Hotel and a multi-storey car park, both of which Promenade developed in the mid-1990s. The hotel will be the fifth in the region to be developed by the Promenade team.
Daniel Hynd, managing director, said: “We’re going to add something special to Liverpool’s hotel offer in a location and a building that are second to none.
“This is a very special location that benefits from great infrastructure and heritage on its doorstep. As investors in all the hotels we’ve developed we’ve got a great feel for the Liverpool market and look forward to taking the project forward.”
The Dr Duncan’s pub on the ground floor will be unaffected by the development, which forms the northernmost part of the 660,000 sq ft jigsaw that was Promenade’s redevelopment of Queen Square. The building’s original refurbishment was undertaken by the Liverpool studio of Falconer Chester Hall, which has been retained to design the new hotel.
The redevelopment follows a string of recent disposals by Promenade, including the fully-let Marine Point development in New Brighton to Aprirose, the Ramada Plaza leisure scheme in Southport to Bliss Estates and a major waterfront residential scheme overlooking Liverpool’s Albert Dock to Vista Fund.
In the second key project before committee, Arcus Development Management’s plans for 30,000 sq ft of office and light industrial space at Estuary Point, Liverpool International Business Park were also approved. The plans include ten units.
As long as SL are a million miles away this will be welcome news for Liverpool.
By Michael McMoaner
If ever a building and a location were made for a boutique hotel offering, this is it. Those lads seem to know what they’re doing hotel-wise, too, which is encouraging. Here’s hoping for something genuinely special and different.
By Sceptical
Liverpool just hasnt got the media and political favour in it’s hands and is therefore just good at telling people it isnt the best place to visit…it’s also very good at telling the world Liverpool isn’t the best place to do business as it’s nearest rival for investment.
Everything that Manchester has apparently achieved that is perhaps disproportionate for a city of it’s size is, I would argue in direct correlation to where Liverpool is underachieving.
What i’m suggesting is that the status quo is what you would expect when policy is to grow one city and stamp on the other, not because there is any organic logic to it from a tourissm business or economical point of view.
I mean, look at London….it’s unbearable but we’re all told repeatedly it’s the place to be….so we go.
By MMcDoomsayer
It will be handy for the visiting, sophisticated hen parties.
By Heswall
Liverpool is the hen and stag party capital of the UK!
By LIV
@Heswall, if you have a few spare rooms we can send them over to you!
By Red Rooster
MMcDoomsayer…………WHAT!!!! are you on???? Lets stick to facts, not fantisies. What has Manchester got to do with this development? Liverpool is still crying out for more and more hotels……what does that tell you?
By Anonymous