Plans submitted for ‘innovative’ transformation of Liverpool’s Chinatown

Plans to transform Liverpool’s Chinatown and attract more Chinese businesses to the area, with the creation of apartments and retail space, have been submitted to the city’s council.

A design team made up of Liverpool-based BLOK Architecture, Warrington’s PHD 1 Construction and Chinatown Development Company was chosen to deliver the project, which will see 120,000 sq ft of retail and commercial space, a 140-bedroom hotel and as many as 800 apartments constructed.

North Point Global is the parent company of Chinatown Development Company. Its chair, Peter McInnes, commented: “During the bidding process it was clear that the Mayor and City Council wanted rapid progress on a key site that has been vacant for too long.

“It was equally important that we took time to listen and consult with local people and come up with a development that realises the potential of this hugely important site on the edge of Chinatown.”

The regeneration efforts will focus on Great George Street, which leads to Chinatown Gate at the entrance to Nelson Street.

Antonio Garcia, the scheme’s lead architect, said: “From the outset we believed that the site needed a bold and ambitious solution that would reinvent and regenerate Chinatown.

“We need to capture and express the energy of Chinese culture and commerce and create a vibrant new destination in the city centre.”

Liverpool is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe, with many immigrants from China arriving in the city in the 1850s.

Councillor Ann O’Byrne, the deputy mayor, said: “This site has tremendous potential to breathe new life into the wider area, creating new homes and jobs.

“The developer has come up with some extremely innovative ideas around developing links with China and the universities to bring a completely new commercial and retail offer to the area.”

A decision on the application is expected to be made before the close of November, with work on the first phase scheduled to begin before the end of 2015.

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