Kier and CTP submit plans for £200m Pall Mall
The developers have put forward a long-awaited planning application for the £200m commercial development in Liverpool, featuring more than 400,000 sq ft of offices, a hotel, leisure, and retail.
The project will see a large swathe of the city around Bixteth Gardens and Exchange Station redeveloped to bring forward 400,000 sq ft of commercial space, and a public square. The hybride application includes full permission for the first office building and public realm, and outline permission for two further offices and a hotel.
The first office covers 112,000 sq ft and has floorplates of 15,000 sq ft per floor.
Remediation of the site is already well under way with Willmott Dixon on site to clear the area for redevelopment. This has been managed by Liverpool City Council and supported by the Combined Authority’s Single Investment Fund and is set to complete by spring 2020.
Once remediation works and the relocation of a substation completes, Kier and CTP’s project can get under way; a main contractor is yet to be appointed.
The scheme, however, is unlikely to come forward on a speculative basis; Oliver Butler of Kier Property told Place North West last month there had been “a lot of interest” from potential occupiers, but the development was “very unlikely” to be brought forward speculatively, with the scheme hinging on securing a number of pre-lets before construction could begin.
Also under the outline is a hotel, reaching around 13 storeys and set to feature 281 bedrooms; Kier and CTP are understood to be at heads of terms with a potential operator.
The professional team on the project includes architect Allies & Morrison, along with landscape architect Re-form. Colliers and Worthington Owen are the agents.
David Topham, director of CTP said: “Pall Mall is going to be a major catalyst project for Liverpool. The scheme will deliver new state of the art office accommodation in the heart of the CBD that meets and exceeds current sustainability standards.
“Importantly, the scheme is delivering a new centrepiece green square which will be well managed, be bio-diverse, safe and accessible to all, creating a new and relaxing space in the heart of the business district.”
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, added: “The proposed Pall Mall scheme is of huge importance to the development of our Commercial Business District. Liverpool city centre needs new Grade A office space to attract companies and highly skilled jobs so we can continue to grow our economy.
“I’m greatly encouraged by the thinking behind the scheme’s lay out and delighted the emphasis is as much on the quality of the place as it is on the design of the buildings. We’re looking at how we can develop the district and this scheme can act as a signpost for the future aspirations for the area.”
Future phases, covering land stretching to Leeds Street, are likely to include a wider mix of uses including residential and a multi-storey car park.
The development of the site has proved to be controversial, particularly around the remediation of Bixteth Gardens, which is currently being remediated to help support the scheme. Campaigners unsuccessfully tried to halt the gardens being developed earlier this year; however, it is understood opposition to the scheme has weakened, while a potential judicial review against the remediation of Bixteth Gardens never materialised.
