Student flats complete Liverpool ONE jigsaw
Formroom Architects and developer Portside House have submitted plans for 305 student flats and 10,000 sq ft of retail space on the last remaining undeveloped plot of the development area acquired by Grosvenor.
Portside House acquired the site in Seel Street from Grosvenor and plans to build three separate blocks of six to nine storeys. The development site is to the rear of the new Premier Inn on Hanover Street which is due for completion soon.
Alex Lewis, managing director of Portside House, based in Southport, said: "We are very excited about the Seel Street student scheme. It's in a fantastic location just two minutes from the heart of Liverpool One and close to the great nightlife around Ropewalks. We have created a scheme that breaks away from the traditional mass market cluster layout. Our studios will offer large rooms with a level of luxury. I am sure students will love it."
Each studio flat will have floor-to-ceiling windows and Formroom's building design aims to reflect the typology of the historic warehouses in the Ropewalks area. The gable ends will be glazed boxes stepping out to provide a focus over the new public realm.
Tim Groom, managing director of Formroom Architects, said: "With the Seel Street student studio scheme we have tried to create a building which is sympathetic to its surroundings, while still being very contemporary. Working with the developer we decided to go for individual studio apartments, rather than shared living space as is usual in student homes because we really wanted to distinguish the scheme from the competition."
Each studio is approximately 280 sq ft and will include fitted kitchen and bathroom, a double bed, a study and lounge area.
Subject to planning approval building work is expected to start early next year on a 16-month build programme.
Grosvenor acquired more than 40 acres for Liverpool ONE including certain fringe sites that were not ultimately contained within the main retail-led scheme and have since been sold and developed by others.
