Liverpool City Council planners have given the go-ahead for phase two of the park, off Edge Lane, which will take the total retail and leisure space to more than 300,000 sq ft. Tony McDonough reports
Another 145,000 sq ft of space is to be added to Liverpool Shopping Park in a £30m scheme that will lead to the creation almost 900 jobs.
Liverpool City Council planners have given the go-ahead for phase two of the park, off Edge Lane, which will take the total retail and leisure space to more than 300,000 sq ft with the eventual aim of taking it beyond 700,000 sq ft.
Current tenants at the park, which opened in October 2017, include M&S Food Hall, River Island, Superdrug, TK Maxx , JD Sports and H&M and phase two will include a leisure block comprising a six-screen cinema, a new Hollywood Bowl, as well as a gym and five restaurant units on the ground floor.
Step forward
A separate building will accommodate a 60,000 sq ft anchor retail store and a further 16 smaller retail units. Nigel Machin, development director at The Derwent Group said: “Planning approval is a tremendous step forward in the evolution of Liverpool Shopping Park and is a testament to the park’s success to date and the confidence the city has in its future.
“It’s a bold scheme that, in light of the rapidly evolving retail market, has been designed to meet the changing needs of operators and shoppers. We are confident this phase will really strengthen the existing LSP offer and be welcomed by the local community too.
“The addition of a large flagship anchor store and a number of smaller units will enhance our growing reputation as a destination shopping park and provides a wider range of opportunities for retailers.”
2020 opening
Planning approval puts Liverpool Shopping Park one step closer to becoming one of the largest shopping parks in the UK once complete and work will start on site in summer 2019. Phase two is expected to open to the public in autumn 2020.
McMullen Wilson and CSP are the letting agents for Liverpool Shopping Park phase two. The planning consultants are ATP Planning, AEW are the architects and Arcadis are the project managers.
The Derwent Group is part of the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation and operates in the retail, leisure, industrial and commercial sectors. The group’s retail portfolio extends to 1.74m sq ft across nine retail parks in the north of England.