The developer behind a scheme to breathe new life into the Lime Street area of Liverpool has confirmed it has revised its plans following a month-long public consultation. Neptune Developments says the new project will do more to combine the city gateway’s “history and future”.
The regeneration specialist is working in partnership with the city council to redevelop the Eastside of Lime Street. Its initial scheme attracted considerable criticism during an April consultation exercise and Neptune has now unveiled a revised scheme “addressing many of the concerns and suggestions aired by the public”.
The upgraded scheme — which will now be considered by Liverpool City Council’s planning committee before the end of July — re-introduces the existing block pattern of Lime Street’s eastern properties with metal panels, designed to give distinctive personality to each block, and which can be dramatically back-lit at night.
Among the buildings to be upgraded are a hotel, shops, restaurants and student accommodation. Steve Parry, managing director at Neptune, says there is also provision for the partial pedestrianisation of the area between Lime Street’s Crown and Vine pubs.
“The consultation has been very helpful,” he added. “It has given us a chance to re-think the project in a wider context that looks at Lime Street’s history and its future within a rapidly changing and dynamic city centre.
“The new design is more urban, more visually dramatic and more integrated. It’s very much part of an emerging vision for the whole of Lime Street and its surrounding area.”
The facade of the Futurist cinema will not be saved under the new scheme because of its “poor structural condition”. Instead the Grade II listed Art Deco building is destined to become a combined live music venue and a studio for the production and broadcast of international television programmes.
The one-time ABC cinema, which has been empty for more than two years, will house TV production facilities, three restaurants, a coffee shop and basement cocktail bar as well as a performance auditorium and two television studios.
The man behind the venue is Liverpool music entrepreneur Mark Cowley. “We have been working for over a year on the project and have already had massive interest and support from leading media companies, collaborators and promoters,” he said. “This is a fantastic building and has all the versatility and space we need, for what will be a unique media and performance destination.”
Liverpool mayor, Joe Anderson, has already praised the “forward thinking” revisions to the scheme. “Lime Street is one of the major gateways into and out of the city and has been neglected for far too long,” he commented.
“It is crucial that any scheme is ambitious and creates the best possible first impression of the city. I am therefore pleased that the architects have listened to the feedback from the consultation and created something that I believe will make this part of Liverpool vibrant and exciting.”
