Derwent begins Edge Lane revamp at last

After more than a decade of planning revisions and rows, Derwent Group has appointed Caddick Construction to create the £100m retail and leisure destination on Edge Lane, which will be known as Liverpool Shopping Park.

Liverpool Shopping Park will total 727,000 sq ft of mixed-use commercial development and comprise 41 retail units, parking for 1,500 cars and a significant leisure offer. The park’s development met with resistance for many years as the city council feared it could damage trade in the city centre and especially Grosvenor’s Liverpool One, which opened in 2008. A deal was announced between council leader Joe Anderson and Derwent boss the late Albert Gubay in 2012.

Derwent’s site spans the current Edge Lane Retail Park as well as the site located across the junction of Rathbone Road and Edge Lane, which is home to Subway and the former Blockbuster store.

The first phase will be 92,500 sq ft of retail space known as the Western Quarter. This includes an anchor tenant unit fronting on to Edge Lane and the first leg of a distinctive horseshoe-shaped run of retail units. The architect for the scheme is AEW Architects.

Work also includes new industrial and trade counter units on Rathbone Road and the construction of two new large retail units on the former Blockbuster site.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, said: “This is a key gateway route into Liverpool and is the first glimpse that new visitors get when they come to Liverpool for the first time. I have worked closely with the Derwent Group to support them to come up with an exciting scheme that will be a top quality shopping and leisure destination and deliver many new jobs.

“Liverpool Shopping Park will breathe new life into this part of the city, and it complements the other major regeneration schemes happening in the area including new housing, the film and TV studios at the former Littlewoods Building and the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

David Lyons, managing director of the Derwent Group said: “This is a transformative project and the final piece of Liverpool’s retail puzzle. Liverpool Shopping Park will bring branded fashion retailers, restaurants and leisure operators together in an out-of-town location, complete with plenty of free parking and great access in and out of the city.

“This is a sizeable and strategic £100m investment for the Derwent Group and it will deliver much needed regeneration and jobs in this part of the city. It’s taken some time to get this project on the table but everything is now in place for work to begin in earnest in April.  We are delighted to be working with Caddick Construction again.”

Andrew Murray, managing director of Caddick Construction said: “We have been working with the Derwent Group for the last 14 years and have delivered projects worth £84m across their portfolio. This is our newest and most high profile project to date. This is a very diverse build and one that will deliver real transformative benefits to this part of Liverpool.”

• Under the Local Government Act 1986, announcements about new or controversial government initiatives during election campaigns are not allowed as they might unfairly influence voters at the expense of other candidates. This period of media shutdown by incumbent political leaders is known as purdah. Mayor Anderson said: “Mr Unger, the picture taken four weeks ago by the Company [Derwent, which issued the press release] is for them to decide when and if they use not mine. The same goes for the quotes, Mr Unger.” Leaders of Warrington and Oldham Councils, where there also elections tomorrow, shied away from publicity in the past week over planning approvals for Time Square and Prince’s Gate respectively. No press releases were issued either by the local authority or through development partners on the matters.