Liverpool approves McLaren’s Myrtle Street student scheme
Designed by Cartwright Pickard, the eight-storey development would be delivered on the old Ritz Roller Rink.
McLaren Property’s Myrtle Street scheme comprises 242 bedrooms. Almost a third of the units will be studios and the rest are arranged in four-, five-, and six-bedroom clusters around common rooms.
Liverpool City Council’s planning committee approved McLaren’s development this morning, despite the project having met with resistance in some quarters.
Cllr Nathalie Nicholas and Cllr Tom Logan have both formally stated that they believe there are too many student accommodation schemes in that area of Liverpool. Nicholas also registered concerns over the building’s height.
In securing planning consent, McLaren has succeeded where others did not.
Plans for student schemes were submitted in 2015 by Lady Maddison and then in 2018 by Property Capital. Property Capital withdrew its application, while Lady Maddison’s application was disposed of by the city council after a lack of response from the developer.
McLaren Property’s regional managing director Tom Gilman said: “We’ve worked closely with Liverpool City Council to deliver a scheme that is sensitively designed and one which respects neighbouring heritage.
“We are excited to get started and regenerate this site and bring forward a vibrant student hub on the edge of Liverpool’s knowledge district.”
CBRE is the planning consultant for the McLaren scheme. The project team includes Hydrock, MB Heritage, Fore, Bowland Tree Consultancy, Colemans, Atelier Ten, GIA, and Met Geo-Environmental. Ares Design is the landscape architect.
Good news. That’s a nice looking scheme and a big improvement on what’s there. Now let’s see what happens with Carpenter Investments…
By Anonymous
About time
By Liverpool4Progress
Good development in what is turning into be a rather green and handsome part of town.
By Anonymous
Wow , a welcome surprise there after some of the recent negative decisions they’ve made.
Just looking at some of the recent planning applications which make poor reading ie Chinatown development an application to lay hardstanding can only mean a temporary surface carpark, then the ABC cinema on Lime St to remain advert signage, so no progress there then.
By Anonymous
I’m pleasantly surprised with this decision! Hope it gets built swiftly now.
By Abots
Really surprised by other positive comments. This is just another anonymous block – I also agree with councillors that the need for so much more student accommodation is not clear.
By Edgelander
Disappointing decision given that it will lead to the loss of the roller rink building. Our heritage should be preserved. The building also too large for this site.
By rmb
Great news. A great looking building
By Anonymous
The universities are major export earners for the city, attracting high-quality students, post-grads, staff and visitors etc. The design looks quite nice and in line with the neighbouring buildings.
But the local Cllrs, who have declared a climate emergency and represent the university, have complained that there’s too much student accommodation in the area…
Surely allowing more students to live beside the university is good for those students, avoids congestion for other road users elsewhere in the city and so is good for the environment.
Take planning powers off these people.
By DenseCity
Looks like the Carpenter development on Kings Dock St got approved too, after what looked like being a refusal at the previous planning committee.
I can only guess that Liam Robinson has had a blunt chat with some of the councillors and told them if we keep refusing schemes from reliable developers we are doomed.
By all means root out the cowboys and rotten landowners but we must turn a corner and get investors back into this city.
By Anonymous
‘Too large, too high, too many…’ etc. Reactionary soft soap that ignores the quality of the scheme and forgets that it this is a city not a village. Nice work by Cartwright Pickard. Let’s get it built.
By LEighteen
I like the current occupant of the site and tried it get it listed. While I’m not 100% happy about the outcome, this is by far the best looking of the buildings that has been proposed. So while ultimately the attempt to save the Ritz have failed, they may have pushed up the quality of what has replaced it.
By JB
Against the wishes of most of the longterm local community.massive opposition to this development has been ignored again.The whole area has been destroyed due the expansion of the university, attracting massive social issues and an unpleasant enviroment to live amongst.more vandalism by lcc and developers.liverpool university blinkered to the anti social behaviour attracted to the area by their expansion.litter,transient population,vandalism and lack of social cohesion.There was huge objection to this development.
By Anonymous
Tired of schemes and schemes, all always student focused. What happens with normal people?
By Anonymous
There is room for improvement on this particular corner of this area but the proposed 8 storey building is to high for this particular area.
By Anonymous
Another southern developer being granted planning permission again, while Liverpool city council pull apart and refuse any application submitted by local developers and local architects who understand and respect the city. This existing building should have been given more respect, there’s better ways to have reused this rather than adding to the soul-less student accommodation that the city already has too many of.
By Anonymous
Purpose built student accommodation frees up family homes in places like Smithdown Road where families should live and put students in the city centre close to the universities and nightlife. It’s a win win.
By Chris
Well done Liverpool City Council – this is a great looking scheme and I look forward to it. I’m turning the mute button on for the “too tall, too big, too southern” crowd. Are you for real? Southern developers? The nimbys are really getting desperate now.
By Liverpool Needs To Grow
Some of the latter comments on here are slightly mind boggling. So students aren’t normal people , or 8 floors is too high , while finally ,Southern developers don’t understand our city.
My response to these comments are an Oprah-style…..What !
By Anonymous
To those individuals who are disappointed about the loss of a building that nobody cared about until 3 years and are also suggesting it should of been kept and used for something else, why dont they focus on buildings like the Wellington Reading Rooms, the old Magistrates Court on Dale St, the ABC Cinema on Lime St, the Welsh Church on Princes Road, the list goes on…. I presume from reading these comments these individuals have viable, funding uses that could work in each of these as it sounds simple.
By Magic Money Tree
Looks good, nice to see some improvement on that site.
Clearly the committee was in a good mood, not super excited by the carpenters scheme, it looks a little bland and little bulky, but good to see some more development in the city centre!
Some people are never happy, when this was tipped for refusal everyone was upset, now its got permission people are saying its too big.
By Dr Ian Buildings
I despair of Liverpool and its Planning department, putting student accommodation before homes for local people. Putting profit of these companies before the concerns of local people and councillors. You’re destroying communities for these white elephants and alienating liverpudelians. I’m beyond angry.
By Helen Bryson
Absolutely disgusting the Planning Committee should hang their heads in shame for ignoring the community concerns
By Anonymous
Perfect place for student accommodation right next to university. Plenty of other sites for Liverpool residents. Remember students bring spending power and jobs . Also not a bad design. Certainly not to high will add strength to the corner . Existing buildings poor no loss
By George
Look at the full retail units on Merytl Parade without students they ain’t doing business amd would be nothing around there.
By Anonymous