Liverpool approves Water Tower and Lathbury House

Proposals to convert Everton Water Tower into a short-stay apartment, and the redevelopment of the former Lathbury House in Sefton Park into 36 flats have been granted planning consent by the city council.

Everton Water Tower

Plans from real estate investor Grey Goose to convert the grade two-listed building on Margaret Street into a short-stay apartment have won planning approval from Liverpool City Council.

The existing 30-metre building, built in 1857 by water engineer Thomas Duncan, will be refurbished into a five-bedroom property used for short stays and events, under the developer’s plans.  

Grey Goose’s proposals also feature the addition of a single-storey recessed flat roof extension, glazed balcony and an outside terraced area offering panoramic views across the city. 

The ground and first floor spaces would be converted into a living and kitchen area with one bedroom. A lift would provide access to the fifth floor, which would comprise a kitchen and living space with four en-suite bedrooms. 

The existing security fencing that surrounds the site will also be replaced.

Grey Goose bought the building at auction in February 2019 for £71,000. Mark Architecture has designed the scheme. 

The water tower has remained unused since it was decommissioned in 1977 and the council said it was keen to secure a new long-term use for the building.  

Loughborough-based Grey Goose is owned by Nilesh Lakha and Rafaelle Russo.

Lathbury Park and Croxteth Lodge

Liverpool City Council’s planning committee also gave the go-ahead to developer TaylorHighdale’s proposals to redevelop a two-acre site it owns on the corner of Ullet Road and Lathbury Lane into 36 apartments.

The site is partly occupied by the two-storey Croxteth Lodge, a now-vacant former care home. The three-storey Lathbury House was demolished within the site in January 2019.

The application proposes the erection a part three-, part four-storey building of 36 apartments on the site of the former Lathbury House, to be followed by the conversion of Croxteth Lodge into a day nursery for up to 100 children.

While the nursery would use the existing access point, new vehicular and pedestrian accesses together with parking provision would be created off Lathbury Lane for the residential element of the scheme.

Liverpool City Council approved an earlier 35-apartment proposal from Citipads Developments in 2018, but the Section 106 agreement was never signed.

With Lathbury House now demolished and changes made on design, siting, and number of apartments, the amended scheme was granted consent this week.

Whereas the first iteration of the project was designed by Sale-based Howard & Seddon Architects, Liverpool-based studio John McCall Architects has since taken over on design.