Great Homer development roadworks begin
Work is due to begin today changing the road layout around St Modwen’s forthcoming Project Jennifer development in North Liverpool anchored by Sainsbury’s.
The project spent more than a decade rumbling through the planning process before starting on site last year. The anchor supermarket was reduced in size from 110,000 sq ft gross, 60,000 sq ft net trading floor area, to 67,000 sq ft gross, 40,000 sq ft net. There will be a further 80,000 sq ft of additional retail space let to other operators.
The development is in a key location at the approach to the city centre linking Scotland Road, Stanley Road, Kirkdale Road and Great Homer Street.
The highways works by Liverpool City Council include a new traffic signal junction, an access road to the development site and resurfacing.
The £6m scheme will mean lane restrictions, temporary signals and night-time closures until September 2016.
Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “We are taking the opportunity to not just create an entrance to the Project Jennifer site, but also put in new traffic lights and carry out a much needed resurfacing of the road.
“Anyone who uses that route regularly knows that the road surface desperately needed replacing and when it is completed this work will make for a much smoother journey for motorists.
“I know this will cause some delays for motorists, but we have carefully planned the work to minimise disruption and major closures will take place at night so they impact on as few people as possible.”
Work on four other major schemes totalling £9 million is also getting underway over the next few weeks in and around Queens Drive, Mill Lane, Smithdown Road, Gainsborough Road to Allerton Road, Queen Square Bus Station, East Lancs Road from Stopgate Lane to Retail Park.
Last year, the city council said it would accelerate its £80m roads investment programme to tackle a significant chunk of the backlog of highway repairs by 2019. This will be funded by the sale of land and buildings, borrowing and external funding from utility companies. Separately, another £85m will be spent on infrastructure improvements in the next few years, with funding from the Growth Deal and the Highways Challenge Fund.
The Great Homer Street development is due to open in 2017.
