£5.5bn Liverpool docklands redevelopment approved

Planning permission for a regeneration project covering 60 hectares of Liverpool’s historic docklands has today been granted, an announcement from the UK’s central governing arm revealed this morning.

The Liverpool Waters project, a vision set forth by the Peel Group, will dramatically transform the Merseyside skyline upon its completion, and aims to create a world-class mixed-use waterfront quarter in central Liverpool.

The extensive £5.5bn redevelopment will see 60 acres of Liverpool’s derelict dockland transformed into a mixed-use development, including hundreds of Grade-A offices, a cruise liner terminal, two clusters of skyscrapers, and a 55-storey tower, which will be the tallest building in north-west England upon completion.

The approval marks the end of six years of collaborative planning between the Peel Group and Liverpool council, who have billed the project as a way to, “connect the city centre to a wider and more interesting and vibrant waterfront that will satisfy the needs of this century and help drive Liverpool forward to be the UK’s second city to London.”

A spokesperson for the Peel Group said the project will, “accommodate city centre expansion and will further stimulate economic and social regeneration and integration with the adjoining areas of the city centre, north Liverpool and the wider sub-region.

“As an integral part of Liverpool’s iconic skyline, and continuing its tradition of innovation, Liverpool Waters will symbolise the city’s 21^st century renaissance alongside its 19^th and 20^th century heritage on the world stage.”

The £5.5bn flagship project falls within one of the UK’s four Enterprise Zones established in March 2011 by the UK Government, with any business occupancy in the Zone entitled to 100% discount on business rates for five years, providing it enters the Zone by April 2015.

Photo courtesy of Rust Studios