Ten years after North Point Global unveiled its ultimately doomed plans for the £200m New Chinatown scheme in Liverpool the 4.55-acre site moves another step closer to major redevelopment. Tony McDonough reports
Global property consultancy CBRE has been tasked with preparing a business case to make the regeneration of Liverpool’s Great George Street site a reality.
Liverpool City Council has appointed CBRE, along with architects from Liverpool-based Brock Carmichael, to work on the design element of the business case, and will undertake early market and community engagement to inform the proposals.
In late 2015 developer North Point Global unveiled plans for a £200m at the 4.55-acre Great George Street site, a gateway to the city’s historic Chinatown. They included 600 homes, 80,000 sq ft of office space, a hotel and commercial space.
However, the development never came to fruition, stalling in 2017. With the backing of £10m in grants from the Government and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the city council acquired the site in November 2024.
CBRE senior director, Andrew Playfer, said: “CBRE is delighted to have been instructed by Liverpool City Council to provide consultancy advice on this high-profile opportunity and to play our part in shaping a vibrant and sustainable future for this key area.”
In March the city council said it was putting together a project team to come up with new mixed-use plans for the site. CBRE has now been appointed following a competitive tender process.
Great George Street is a brownfield plot which lies within Liverpool’s historic Chinatown and close to the Baltic Triangle district, adjacent to Liverpool Cathedral.
Its development has been stalled since 2017, subject to a series of complex legal challenges which the City Council has taken action to resolve.
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Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, added: “The acquisition of the stalled Great George Street development is a hugely significant step in resetting the story of this major gateway site.
“Its proximity to the Baltic Triangle, which is undergoing huge change with plans afoot to radically upgrade the transport infrastructure there, means the future development of the Great George Street site is of critical importance to the city.”