Plan will see Lime Street reduced to a single carriageway, widening St George’s Plateau to create a major events space, and traffic would be redirected down St John’s Lane. Tony McDonough reports

People in Liverpool are this week being invited to view the latest designs for the multi-million pound remodelling of Lime Street.

The plan will see Lime Street reduced to a single carriageway, widening St George’s Plateau to create a major events space. Traffic would be redirected down St John’s Lane.

It is part of a wider £45m scheme that will transform how people move around Liverpool city centre – by foot, bike, car, coach and bus – and also includes the installation of a new water feature at the southern end of the plateau.

Liverpool City Council will be hosting a two day public information exercise on the Lime Street element which is central to phase one of the Liverpool City Centre Connectivity (LCCC) Scheme, with sessions held at Central Library on Wednesday, March 7, and at No 1 Mann Island, on Thursday, March 8, both from 10am to 6pm on each day.

The LCCC scheme, aims to boost transport links and further fuel Liverpool’s international appeal to investors, shoppers and tourists.

A key aim of the project is to achieve a major reduction in congestion by creating a new hub for buses to park and layover in, which will reduce bus traffic, and the repositioning of Queen Square bus station for all northbound routes and Paradise Street station for all southbound routes.

The council estimates this could cut the distance buses travel around the city by 700,000 miles a year. Liverpool’s first dedicated coach park will also be created to accommodate the boom in coach visitors to the city centre.

To be completed by 2020, the first stage of phase one is to begin this autumn along this schedule:

• Summer ‘2018 to winter 2018 – Moorfields: Improving the footways and introducing new trees to enhance the area and the entrance into Moorfields Station.
• Summer 2018 to winter 2018 – City Bus Hub: Creating a new bus layover with welfare facilities in Old Haymarket for buses leaving Queen Square bus station so reducing congestion and pollution in the city centre.
• Summer 2018 to spring 2019 – Victoria Street: Public space will be upgraded, creating wider footways and options for street cafés.
• Spring 2019 to autumn 2019 – Lime Street: Creating a new gateway into the city from Liverpool Lime Street Station and a new events space for St George’s Plateau.
• Spring 2019 to autumn 2019 – City Coach Park: Provision of one location for dedicated off street coach parking, supporting visitor to the City Centre attractions.
• Summer 2019 to spring 2020 – Tithebarn Street: Creation of new cycleway to enhance links with Lime Street and the waterfront.
• Autumn ‘2019 to spring 2020 – Brownlow Hill: Creating a new cycle link with Lime Street, and improved public areas that create a place for enjoying and accessing the Knowledge Quarter.

A six week public consultation was held last year on the LCCC scheme, which will receive £38.4m from the Local Growth Fund with local match funding of £6.3m and is a major part of Liverpool City Council’s £300m Better Roads programme.

The second stage of phase one will see the installation of new bridges at Canning Dock and a series of highways improvements along The Strand, with work scheduled to begin in 2019.

Councillor Ann O’Byrne, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, said: “Liverpool’s international appeal to visitors and investors has blossomed over the past decade and a widened St George’s plateaus is going to create a major new event space for the city.

“As well as enhancing a major gateway into the city this new scheme also addresses many of our current and future needs to improve the city centre welcome and provide an experience befitting a world class city. 

For more information on phase one of LCCC scheme click here.