Liverpool clears One Pall Mall Gardens tweaks
The city council has approved changes including a reconfigured lobby and relocated roof terrace at Kier’s long-awaited 111,000 sq ft office scheme.
Place reported in March that the development – for which a £15m grant and rent guarantee scheme was agreed last year – had moved to RIBA Stage 4, the final design stage, with both Kier and Liverpool City Council talking of renewed momentum.
With further council cash signed off in April for public realm around this and other developments in the area, plans were then submitted by Kier’s team in May as the developer looks to prepare for delivery of the new grade A office space the city has lacked for some time.
Architect Allies and Morrison is the building designer, working alongside landscape architect re-form. WSP is Kier’s planning advisor. As set out in the firm’s covering letter for the non-material amendments, some of the biggest changes come at ground floor.
The main entrance will now be from Bixteth Walk, and secondary access from Pall Mall Gardens, and a flexible tenant entrance/restaurant/retail space accessed from Bixteth Street. Ground floor units will be flexible, for use as either offices, retail or restaurants.
On upper floors, levels two to six, WSP said that solid side panels will be introduced to window systems to reduce solar gain and operational energy demand. The external terrace space at level seven will be moved to level eight.
The basement offer will see a small decrease in car parking spaces, from 24 to 20, enlarged sprinkler tanks, and seven ‘end of trip’ showers provided.
The changes reflect how the market has moved on since Kier first became involved with the scheme in 2017, originally working in partnership with CTP.
Consent was granted in 2019, and refreshed in 2022 for a project that, it is still hoped, will be a catalyst for up to 400,000 sq ft of development across the wider Pall Mall site.
As WSP noted, “the proposed amendments will not materially affect the site’s external appearance or elevations, and views onto the site from sensitive neighbouring properties will be materially unaffected.
“The architectural character and quality of the scheme will be maintained with the changes to the scheme, and the viability and deliverability of the scheme will be significantly improved, having responded to changes in the market that have occurred since the Covid 19 pandemic.”
Colliers and Worthington Owen are agents on the scheme.
Documents outlining the amendments can be seen on LCC’s planning portal, using the reference 26NM/1389.
