Liverpool City Council starts UK-wide search for development partner huge 55-acre site in the north of the city to create 500,000 sq ft of employment space and 220 new homes. Tony McDonough reports
Senior councillors in Liverpool agree to green-light proposal to develop a huge site in the north of the city that will include employment space and new homes.
This week the council’s cabinet has given the green light to begin a UK-wide search for a development partner for the huge 55-acre Stonebridge Cross site at Croxteth on the outskirts of the city.
Stonebridge Cross is located in Croxteth next to the East Lancs Road (A580) and has been empty for a number of years. It is one of the biggest development sites in the city and the council originally envisaged a warehouse / industrial scheme.
However, these plans never came to fruition and in 2021 a report to the cabinet recommended a pivot to developing new homes on the land. However, officers have changed their minds again and are now recommending a mixed-use approach.
This would be a 70/30 ratio in favour of industrial use with the proposal for around 500,000 sq ft of industrial, manufacturing and logistics space and a smaller plot where 220 new homes would be built, including a mix of market, affordable and social dwellings.
Cllr Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, said: “Stonebridge Cross is one of the most important regeneration opportunities currently available in Liverpool and I’m delighted Cabinet has approved this next step in bringing the site forward.
“This decision will allow us to test the market and attract developers who can help realise our vision of creating new jobs, new homes and long-term investment in Croxteth.”
The council‘s preferred approach is for the entire site to be delivered through a comprehensive masterplan that integrates homes, jobs, environmental improvements and stronger links to local services and facilities.
It will now be marketed nationally through a specialist agent, with bids assessed against a framework that considers employment creation, housing delivery, design quality, social value, environmental performance and overall public benefit.
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“The site has a strategically important role to play in meeting demand for high-quality employment land while also supporting housing delivery and wider regeneration benefits for local communities,” added Cllr Small.
“We want development proposals that deliver genuine social value, create opportunities for local people and contribute to a thriving, sustainable future for the area.”