No inquiry needed for £35m Lime Street redevelopment
Plans for the regeneration of the east side of Lime Street in Liverpool will not be called in by the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, according to a statement from the city council.
The application relates to the majority of the block bounded by Lime Street, Skelhorne Street, Copperas Hill and Bolton Street.
Regeneration Liverpool, a joint venture between Sigma Inpartnership, the council, and developer Neptune, submitted plans earlier this year, but these were revised after criticism from residents.
The revised proposal designed by Broadway Malyan, with IBI Group as planning agent, includes 30,000 sq ft of commercial space, a 101-bedroom hotel, and an 11-storey 412-bedroom student residential building.
The planning application was approved earlier this month.
The development will see the demolition of the facade of the former Futurist cinema. Because of this issue some heritage groups called on the Government to hold an inquiry into the plans.
The city council has now been told that the Secretary for State for Communities & Local Government will not call in the decision.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “I am glad that DCLG have recognised that this sort of decision is better made locally where there is a knowledge and understanding of the area.
“Lime Street is a key gateway route in the city centre but it is in desperate need of investment and upgrading. The current scheme went through a very rigorous evaluation before being determined.”
Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune Developments, said: “We are pleased that the Government have respected a local decision made by people who know and understand the issues and the area. Lime Street urgently needs this project to happen and we have the investors and end-users primed and ready to go.
“The loss of The Futurist is regrettable but committed, local campaigners understand that the building had simply got to a point where restoration was impossible. It’s been frustrating to have London-based interest groups trying to derail the project, not least because we have demonstrated our commitment to conservation through the energy and ingenuity that we have invested in plans for the restoration of the landmark ABC cinema.
“This project and this building would have been jeopardised had this application been called in and development stalled for up to two years. This is a great result for Lime Street and Liverpool.”
