Liverpool will see the opening of its first five-star hotel for decades as part of a £1bn development that will also include the city’s tallest-ever tower and backed by Home Bargains tycoon Tom Morris. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool’s £1bn King Edward scheme will include a five-star hotel as well as the city’s tallest-ever tower.
At the MIPIM property expo in Cannes developers KEIE and Beetham, backed by Home Bargains billionaire Tom Morris, unveiled the latest details of their development at what is currently the King Edward industrial estate close to Princes Dock and the waterfront.
In February LBN revealed the partners planned to build a cluster of 10 residential skyscrapers on the site, comprising 1,200 apartments, with the tallest tower exceeding 60 storeys – at least 20 storeys higher than the city has ever seen.
Now they have also revealed it will include the first five-star hotel in Liverpool since earlier in the 20th century. In the next few weeks a planning application for a ‘pathfinder’ tower of 27 storeys will be submitted for approval by city council planners.
Renowned skyscraper designers Simpson Haugh have also joined the team to design their first Liverpool building. In all the development will include two hotels offering a total of 400 rooms.
The developers aim to target a global operator to provide a five-star brand which will also offer luxury branded residences within a single tower.
“We are creating a destination and a new district in the city centre and the mix and quality of uses and operators will be key to its success,” said Hugh Frost, chairman of developer Beetham.
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“A waterfront of Liverpool’s quality deserves only the best and we are here talking to hoteliers about how we can give them the setting to showcase their brand for the first time in the Liverpool market.
“The growth in the city’s high-end tourism market, particularly cruise passengers, gives us the confidence that this will succeed.”
Scheme architect Chris Bolland of Liverpool-based Brock Carmichael said that the development’s design values will be a key attribute that will attract “the best occupiers”.
He added: “This is all about creating a new destination to which blue chip occupiers will naturally gravitate. The best restaurateurs want to be next to the best hotels and office occupiers, so everything is conceived with that circularity in mind.
“We are delighted to be curating an outstanding design team that we hope will also include Simpson Haugh, and global design practice firm 3XN.”