CPUK secures £9m Speke retail deal

TJ Morris and contractor CPUK have started work on a 25,000 sq ft Home Bargains store on Speke Boulevard alongside two further speculative units.

CPUK will deliver a total of nearly 53,000 sq ft of retail on the former Rayware site near Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

The largest of these at 25,000 sq ft houses a Home Bargains with a garden centre to the rear, while the further two units are 14,000 sq ft and 13,500 sq ft and are being developed speculatively, with TJ Hughes looking to attract tenants for both of these.

Construction is expected to take around 12 months, and will also include junction improvement works on Speke Boulevard.

Skelmersdale-based CPUK has started on site following site clearance, which saw the Booth House office block demolished. Planning permission was granted for the development in March 2017, despite objections from other retailers, particularly competitor B&M which sent three letters opposing the scheme.

Asda and other local businesses had also raised objections, while a local councillor also opposed the project, arguing it would lead to an increase in traffic congestion.

However, council planners said the scheme would regenerate a problem site and provide a £25m investment in the area, along with creating 100 jobs.

Steve Burke, managing director of CPUK, said: “The Liverpool commercial sector has seen a lot of growth recently and the confidence of TJ Morris to undertake speculative retail builds is proof of that.

“We are always pleased to be back working in Liverpool, which has become one of the North of England’s most vibrant cities.

“In turn, Speke has become a major retail and commercial centre for Merseyside and these three new retail units will add to the local economy and create new jobs.”

The professional team on the project includes planner Quod and architect Bracewell Stirling.