Councillors will this week consider a proposal for a £35m 283-bed hotel above the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool with planning officers recommending approval. Tony McDonough reports
Planning officers are recommending approval this week for a 283-bed hotel in LIverpool’s Cavern Quarter.
Greenwood Developments and JSM want to create the new hotel in Mathew Street above the world famous Cavern Club. They have already secured global brand Hilton to manage the hotel as a Motto by Hilton.
Craig Greenwood, founder of a successful air-conditioning and ventilation supply business, acquired the former Cavern Walks site in 2022 from Signature Living for £7m. There is already planning approval for a 149-bed hotel.
But in February the developer announced it was submitting a fresh application to increase the number of beds to 283. Councillors on the city’s planning committee will consider the proposal on Tuesday (October 1) with planning officers recommending approval.
This will be the fourth Hilton hotel to open in Liverpool. There is already the Hilton Liverpool in Liverpool ONE and Hampton by Hilton hotels in the city centre and close to Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The Cavern Club, of course, is known worldwide as ‘The birthplace of The Beatles’. It was at the popular 1960s music they were discovered by Brian Epstein who steered them to global fame.
In 1973 the original Cavern Club closed down and was partly demolished. In 1981, plans were unveiled to excavate the buried remains of the Cavern Club cellar.
This proved impossible but the club has been recreated and now sits at a 90 degree angle to the original and covers 70% of the original Cavern footprint.
In the early 2000s Cavern Walks became a thriving upmarket retail destination, housing leading designer fashion outlets such as Cricket and Vivienne Westwood. It was also home to two cafes and provided office space on its upper floors.
However, the opening of nearby Metquarter followed by the £1bn Liverpool ONE, sent Cavern Walks into a downward spiral from which it did not recover.
This scheme will add more capacity to Liverpool’s booming hotel sector which in the past few years has grown from around 2,000 beds to almost 10,000 beds. It has been boosted by the launch of the Liverpool Accommodation BID.
Also before the committee this week is Capital&Centric’s £70m plan, backed by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, to create a TV and movie studios complex at the former Littlewoods site in Edge Lane.
In August, Manchester-based Capital&Centric announced it was seeking a main contractor for the project which will include two new 20,000 sq ft studios for big budget productions. Officers are recommending approval subject to a section 106 agreement.
And councillors will also consider the National Museums England’s plans for a £58m revamp of the Martin Luther King building, which houses the International Slavery Museum. Officers are also recommending approval for this scheme.