Liverpool updates on stalled sites
Despite progress on some problem plots, there are still some high-profile sites struggling to overcome obstacles preventing their redevelopment.
An update provided by Liverpool City Council’s Strategic Development and Housing Select Committee states that the number of stalled sites in the city now stands at 21.
These include New Chinatown off Great George Street. Plans to redevelop this site have been in the pipeline since 2015 but have never materialised.
The company delivering the 500-home scheme, Great George Street Project, is in administration and the site is being sold.
Earlier this year, Liverpool City Council said it planned to provide a report outlining the options available for retaking control of the long-stalled plot, including exercising compulsory purchase powers.
Another site up for sale at present is Metalworks, a 319-home project that is also part of ongoing administration proceedings.
It is understood that deals that would see both New Chinatown and Metalworks acquired are at an advanced stage.
Another two stalled sites being marketed for sale are YPG Group’s Fabric Village and Fabric Residence schemes, which combined could deliver more than 600 homes.
Natex and Infinity – a student scheme and an apartment development respectively – were both sold out of administration this year but are not progressing, according to the committee’s report.
The 574-bedroom Natex was bought by Blacklight Capital Partners, while the 1,000-apartment Infinity was bought by a group of the scheme’s original investors.
Since the initial list of stalled sites was identified there has been “good progress on a number of the sites”, according to the city council.
“Development has recommenced at six sites that will deliver in the region of 1,700 residential units and 150 hotel bedrooms”, the report said.
Schemes on the city council’s ‘back on track’ list include Westminster Park, a 614-apartment development in Bevington Bush. This year, Sourced Developments acquired the former Bevington Developments plot. The developer has restarted work on the scheme, with Newry Construction on site.
Another stalled scheme that is now up and running is Ridgeback’s 426-apartment Pall Mall press. Anwyl won approval to redevelop the city centre site in 2017 but work only commenced last year after Ridgeback bought the plot.
Next door to Pall Mall press, the commercial element of the development is yet to get going.
A separate report updating on Pall Mall, a four-office scheme that Kier Property is delivering as the city council’s development partner, states that the partners are still awaiting a “significant pre-let… to enable construction to start.”
Read the full report on stalled sites.
Natex does appear to be back on site as workers and plant are evident but Infinity is still silent. The Chinatown scheme would be a massive uplift and revitalise the whole of Chinatown but needs to be high-density, also the Norton site in Baltic needs to be bought and progressed as ,except for Legacie`s two sites, the Baltic has slowed somewhat.
Meanwhile even some of the council`s own initiatives have stalled such as the cruise terminal and hotel, in addition to the aforementioned Pall Mall offices, plus the Littlewoods studios.
By Anonymous
What about YPG’s Renshaw Steet project? It seems to have changed hands but the name for the new company is a bit suspect, The Co with that UK is being dissolved so it could be a Manx outfit, but no clue if the same people are behind it.
Newry seems to be on board there according to a planning app submitted.
By JB
And the update is… there is no update.
By Anonymous
I’d sigh but I’m beyond that now. You couldn’t make that list of catastrophe’s up.
By Anonymous
Liverpool needs some decent developers like Renaker to come in and crack on with a landmark development with at least one 70 plus storey tower in the Leeds Street area
By GetItBuilt!
Glad to see some sites progressing. The city council needs to prioritise two developments Pall Mall offices and the cruise liner terms. Both are key to Liverpool’s economic development which will have other spin offs to support other development. I know the city has financial problems…but these sites need capital which borrowing via public works loan board would make only a very very marginal impact on the councils revenue budget….and the income from these site would actually assist to fill the the revue gap
By George
I think if there was any due diligence made on the developers and how they acquire the land to develop in the first place then without any funds or collateral to actually deliver the projects or pay the consultants fees then i am pretty sure these would never make it into planning in the first place.
By Anonymous
Stalled sites, you say? Like Pall Mall, the movie studios and the cruise terminal you mean? Kettle meet black pot.
By Sceptical
So sad to see Liverpool in the hands of developers
By Joe Jackson
Liverpool land, unless council owned, is private property. What the owners, whoever they are, wherever they reside, do with their land is their own business. They decide what Liverpool becomes, as suits them best. Is that so hard to understand?
By James Yates
I’m sure I saw lights on in Herculean Quay tonight so that might be an end to a 15 year fiasco.
By Anonymous
” So sad to see Liverpool in the hands of developers”, what a strange statement, does any of your family own a house and the freehold land ,and if they were to sell it wouldn`t they wish to make a profit, if so they would be capitalists, and in effect no different to developers , who seem to upset you.
Liverpool in it`s glory days was created by developers and capitalists, we cannot expect the state to build and provide everything, even in China and Russia they have billionaires.
By Anonymous