LJMU restarts hunt for IM Marsh developer
CBRE has been appointed to sell the 20-acre former campus three years after the university shelved plans to redevelop the site.
It has previously been estimated that Liverpool John Moores University’s IM Marsh site in Aigburth could accommodate up to 200 homes. LJMU announced it was working up plans for the plot in 2021 before going cold on the idea a year later.
Now that the site is back on the market, developers have until 28 May to submit offers for the site.
Kieran McLaughlin, senior director in CBRE’s UK development and residential team, said: “Land such as this is in high demand and we are looking forward to reviewing bids from interested parties seeking to bring this vacant site back into use to contribute to the local economy.”
The IM Marsh site had previously housed sports facilities along with the university’s education, community and leisure faculties, but most of those operations moved to either the flagship Copperas Hill building or the new School of Education in Maryland Street in 2021.
The site features two grade two-listed buildings, including Holmefield House.
McLaughlin added: “The university vacated the site a number of years ago with no teaching or other student-facing activity at IM Marsh since 2020.
“The site has been secured throughout that time and the university has been actively engaged with the neighbourhood to keep local residents updated and informed. The release of the IM Marsh site will allow LJMU to invest further in developing student-facing services, specialist facilities and the continued maintenance of an extensive campus portfolio in the city centre.”
They’ll be forming a disorderly queue for that site. Would love to see the transport assessment for capacity on Barkhill Road and its junctions with Aigburth Road and Mossley Hill Road. Someone will have jumped through hoops to make that work.
By Blue Boy
New housing on this site is to be expected, but some green space needs to be retained. Anyone who knows this part of Liverpool will know its green and has a sense of space with tree lined streets. Whatever happens to this site, it needs to be carefully thought out and not the usual ram it in as much as you can development with no public space or trees. Ideally this would be a park, or a least half given over to a public park for the benefit of the local community and climate change.
By GetItBuilt!
It is a crying shame that LJMU chose not to keep using the site as writing as a former student of the site I know how brilliant the facilities and buildings and grounds were and from the outside still are. It would be great to think that another sports and education institution would come along and buy it and use it. To me it always used to hold the ‘gold standard’ for sports and leisure education. Sadly I don’t think there is any institution around and not even our local football clubs that would be able to pay ‘the top dollar’ that this site will surely go for. and as ‘Blue Boy’@ 9.20 indicates the local roads around the site will be able to cope with the massive influx of new traffic from the new site that any number of new homes are sure to bring with them. It will be a nightmare in the making and we will also be losing more prime green recreational space that LJMU’s new site at Copperas Hill clearly has not got. It is a really sad day for the city.
By Brendan R
Would be good to see some care provision in that local area, mixing youth and aging population maybe??
By Phil Ingham
Vacant since 2020 is a bit dishonest, the sports pitches and facilities were still being used by sports teams into 2022.
By Anonymous
I trust LJMU to build attractive looking homes on this site that will blend in with the local environment.
By Anonymous
Perhaps Eden Academy and D of E and Nick Small (LCC) should consider this as a suitable site to build the Muslim girls school as opposed to taking land away from the Caribbean community centre.
By Linda Priddie
Re: Linda Priddle @9.55 I think it would be a really great place for a new school and you could retain most if not all the buildings including the gym and the indoor pool and also allow the local community to use the playing fields too. Sadly though I think that LJMU will just sell it to the highest bidder irrespective of how many homes a developer will be able to cram onto the site and irrespective of what they might look like.
By Brendan R
@Linda, probably not a good site for the Muslim Girls College as it would mean a lot of travel to get there, and the bus routes aren’t that great. As regards the Afro/Caribbean centre the current one is past its best and something more modern and inspiring is needed, in addition I would like to see it as part of a large apartment block for our youngsters who have had to move down South from L8 and their home city, so they can return and find work and accommodation.
By Anonymous
Why dont the local community club together and buy it and turn it into a nature reserve, I wish!
By The Green man.
The surrounding roads could not cope with all the extra traffic from more housing. Some roads are already rat runs for drivers avoiding Rose Lane and Queens Drive and the local schools are full.
By Anonymous