Plans are to approved to build a large apartment and leisure complex in Liverpool city centre, despite the developer giving up plans to include a rooftop helipad.

A report prepared for planners in advance of Liverpool City Council’s next planning committee showed that the planning officer recommended approval of the redevelopment of 70 – 90 Pall MAll in the Pumpfields area of Liverpool. The scheme will occupy a 2.6-acre site that is currently home to an unused low-rise warehouse.

The developer, Industrial Workshop (Pall Mall) will retain the historic warehouse frontage but will also transform the site into a home for 366 apartments, a 516-space multi-storey car park, offices, a ground-floor retail unit, a ground-floor cafe/bar, a restaurant with a dedicated terrace, a gym, a spa with terrace, and rooftop gardens.

Much of the development would be between four to ten storeys in height, though the southern end would also include an 18 floor tower that will serve as a visual marker for the northern gateway to Liverpool.

The planning officer announced that:

“The tower will achieve a unique and attractive appearance and make a positive contribution to the city skyline without overawing the character of nearby historic buildings.”

Plans were submitted in late 2014 and attracted a good deal of media attention due to the included plans for a rooftop helicopter pad: the first in Liverpool city centre. However, these proposals were later revised in recommendations from the council’s head of planning.

The latest report on the construction plans said:

“The residential units will address an identified local housing demand and assist with the city’s housing land supply, contributing towards a balanced living community. The proposal will enable the more efficient use of an underperforming urban brownfield site with a stronger and more active built form that positively interacts with surrounding streets and spaces.

“The commercial elements of development present economic benefits and employment opportunities, and will provide facilities for local residents, workers and visitors without undermining the vitality and viability of centres locally.”

Liverpool City Council’s planning committee will make a final decision regarding the development at its meeting on Tuesday (17 February 2015).

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Words: Peter Cribley