Maro keeps long-awaited Brunswick Quay development alive
The developer is seeking reapproval to build a 552-home scheme on a prominent waterfront site more than two years after Liverpool City Council granted planning consent for the project.
Following discussions with the city council, Maro has made several minor tweaks to the Brunswick Quay development to bring it in line with the newly adopted local plan.
Maro’s 552-apartment development was approved in September 2020 but the subsequent Section 106 agreement was never completed.
As a result, the developer is required to resubmit its proposals to demonstrate they are in line with Liverpool’s refreshed planning strategy.
Maro is working with Fletcher Rae Architects and planning consultant Roman Sumner Associates on the scheme.
Southport-based Maro, set up as the property vehicle of Matalan founder John Hargreaves, first won consent for a futuristic tower proposal at the 3.75-acre site located between Brunswick Dock and Atlantic Way in 2006.
Plans for a distinctive 50-storey tower were refused in 2006. Credit: via planning documents
That scheme, designed by architect Ian Simpson, was thrown out by the Secretary of State amid concerns about the impact it would have on the World Heritage site.
Pre-application discussions over a revised plan took place in early 2007, but progress was halted due to the economic downturn, according to a planning statement.
Maro returned with updated proposals for a mid-rise scheme in 2018. The application recently resubmitted to the city council is largely the same as that development although the mix of apartments has been tweaked.
The 2018 scheme proposed 193 one-bedroom apartments, 331 two-bedroom apartments, and 28 three-bedroom apartments.
The 2023 application features 195 one-bedroom apartments 329 with two bedrooms, and 28 with three.
Maro was contacted for comment.
Hope this site isn`t jinxed after the debacle over the Simpson Tower, which would have been a great addition to the skyline.
The current proposal looks really good ,so why didn`t Maro make start before the awful new local plan was introduced. This site looks right over the river and across to Wales, it should attract lots of interest, so why wait further as the economy should be well back on track by the time this is finished.
By Anonymous
Let’s hope LCC show some commonsense and are friendly to potential developers and not scale it down toa bungalow?
By Liverpolitis
I’m sorry to be so blunt, but that looks awful. A brutalist lump. The first big test of Liverpool council’s claim to want to use its expanded planning team to guide quality. If this lump gets consented then it’s a race to the bottom.
By Sceptical
This was refused in 2007 because the planning dept and government said this land was for commercial buildings not private housing
By John Omar
Anyone actually read the article or just commenting based on the picture? It’s a minor tweak to a scheme that was previously consented…
By Abots
2007? it`s now 2022 and there`s been plenty of time for a commercial development to appear, it won`t happen, let`s have housing ,lot`s of it, it`s a good scheme,looks like Rotterdam, Hamburg ,or any of those forward thinking port cities, it`s a design fit for a proper city and not a village.
By Anonymous
They look neat
By Anonymous
If we’re having development along the waterfront it needs to be top notch. This is awful.
By Anonymous
So many apartments were are the people going to park it is already saturated with people parking on any bit ofland they can find or on pavements. Are they going to provide underground parking..
By Anonymous
This site should remain for commercial use only and not private as it was started and funded by the then secratery of state Michael heseltine
By John