Fabric District endorsed by Liverpool cabinet
The city council’s cabinet has this morning given its approval for a vision document setting out the area close to Lime Street as a regeneration zone in its own right.
In April, business leaders in the area put their plans to the council to make the area a priority. The Fabric District takes its name from the area’s historic associations with the fashion and textile industries and is located between Islington and London Road, close to Lime Street at the top end of the Knowledge Quarter.
Although the boundaries are fluid, it covers around 86 acres, and is increasingly becoming a target for student accommodation schemes. One of the proposals is for a ‘high street’ type emphasis on bars and restaurants on Stafford Street
Over the past two years, stakeholders including business owners, property organisations including Regenda, community groups and Prof. John Hyatt, director of Art LABS at the Liverpool School of Art & Design, have worked on the Fabric District concept.
Cabinet this morning endorsed the work done, giving approval for council officers to develop a framework for the area that will support its ability to attract knowledge-based startups and services, improve public realm and support established businesses.
The vision document includes a detailed plan to revitalise the neighbourhood, with changes to its existing streetscapes, and identifies ways to make it more welcoming to both new businesses and to the public, as well as attracting new residents, in the same way the Baltic Triangle has developed in recent years.
The district has an active social media presence and its own section on the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool website.
Included within the area are buildings such as new venue The Reeds and The Tapestry on Kempston Street, which previously housed a family printing business before being re-purposed by owner Jason Abbott into a 25,000 sq ft creative hub including studios and workshops, plus a bar and events space. The Tapestry is currently 80% occupied.
