Member Article

Planning permission granted for Liverpool Heap’s Mill project

The £130m refurbishment and redevelopment of one of the last remaining gateway sites in Liverpool’s southern docklands, which includes the listed Heap’s Mill complex, has received planning permission.

The scheme, by One Park Lane Ltd, will see the development of 800 new homes and 12,000 sq ft of leisure and retail units, ranged around a new public space called Baltic Square

Developer Elliot Lawless said: “A lot of credit is due to Liverpool council for their advisory role and their responsiveness.

“We were working under tight deadlines because of our funders’ needs and they pulled out all the stops to ensure a scheme which respects and preserves this lovely old building.

“Our objective is to be on site by the Spring so that we can bring this prominent site back into use as soon as possible.” added Mr Lawless.

There will be four new-build blocks comprising a mid-rise 16 storey building on the corner of Park Lane and Liver Street and three other buildings of 14 and 12 stories as well as the mill itself.

The homes will be for private rental and market rent through a social landlord, with the remaining block housing serviced apartments. In the mill, there may be opportunities to develop larger apartments for sale, suggested Mr Lawless.

He said: “Buyers are returning strongly so we’re looking at what room there may be to add something fresh to the market.

“We have some other sites in the city centre so this project will give us a clear steer as to what we may achieve elsewhere.”

A previous application for the site, which anticipated the mill buildings’ demolition, was withdrawn in favour of the scheme approved today. Project architect Adam Hall of Falconer Chester Hall, said:

“The scheme will open up the space in front of the mills as they’ve been partially hidden from the public, who’ll now have the opportunity to enjoy buildings that are emblematic of their era.

“They’ll love Baltic Square, too, which has all sorts of nods to the area’s previous function as a centre for rice milling. It’s a cracking scheme and I’m looking forward to seeing it completed.”

Joseph Heap founded his milling business on the site, next door to the famous Baltic Fleet pub, in 1778, though the present structures dates from the mid-Victorian era.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .