Plans in for first phase of £1bn Liverpool skyscraper cluster
Davos Property Developments and Beetham Group have submitted proposals for a 28-storey tower on the edge of King Edward Triangle, the initial element of a scheme that is tipped to feature the city’s tallest tower.
The development – located at 12 – 14 Waterloo Road, which was previously occupied by a Greek restaurant called Bacchus Taverna – is being billed as a “pathfinder development” that will test the waters for what is possible across the seven-acre site that Davos is developing out with Beetham Group.
Davos, the development arm of TJ Morris, teased thinking for the project earlier this year. At that time, the plan was for a 27-storey building featuring 262 flats. Since then, the project has been refined and will deliver 255 one- and two-bed apartments in a 28-floor structure.
“This is a bold expression that sets the design tone for the development going forward,” said Chris Bolland, managing partner of Brock Carmichael, which is leading on the scheme’s design.
“We’ll animate the ground floor on two frontages with leisure occupiers for the public to enjoy, and our entrance canopy offers a confident statement that will make the building a key marker on the route to Everton’s new stadium.”
The King Edward Triangle site is located in the area earmarked in Liverpool City Council’s tall buildings strategy for the tallest towers in the city.
Leader Cllr Liam Robinson has been supportive of the plans from the outset, an approach praised by the project team.
“The council has been very pragmatic and recognise the wider impact of a genuine cluster of high-quality tall buildings, rising to as many as 60 storeys,” Bolland said.
“This is the first step in showing [Robinson] that we will deliver on the site’s promise.”
The development features an almost 50-50 mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Credit: via Merrion Strategy
The building will ‘far exceed anything in the city’ with regards to amenity space, says Darren Muir, director at planning consultant Pegasus Group, said the building would push boundaries in terms of resident amenity space.
“The client’s aim is to set the benchmark for residents’ amenity, with almost 50 sq ft of shared space per apartment,” he said.
“That’s almost double the current top figure in the city.”
Amenities within the building include a residents’ lounge, gym, and workspace on the first floor, and two lounges on the top floor, as well as an outdoor social space.
Muir said the proposals have been backed by the council’s inclusive design officer.
“The council’s inclusive design officer highlighted the fact that the proposal would ‘significantly exceed’ policy requirements regarding levels of accessibility,” he said.
“I’ve not seen that level of endorsement before.”
The wider seven-acre masterplan, due to be made public later this year, has the ambition to deliver the city’s tallest tower baked into it.
The highest building in the cluster would overtake West Tower, a Beetham development, as Liverpool’s loftiest. SimpsonHaugh Architects, a long-time collaborator with Beetham, has been invited to be involved in the design of the landmark tower.
