Peel’s new masterplan for Liverpool Waters will comprise at least two new hotels close to the cruise terminal. Tony McDonough reports
Property giant Peel will submit its revised masterplan for Liverpool Waters to Liverpool City Council in June which will comprise at least two new hotels in Princes Dock.
In early April LBN revealed a new hotel planned for next to Liverpool Cruise Terminal would go ahead. The project was thrown into doubt when the new private operator of the terminal, Global Ports Holding, said a hotel was not part of its plans.
However, Peel Waters told LBN it was determined to find a partner to continue with the hotel project. It has now also confirmed that a second hotel, also close to the cruise terminal, was also part of the masterplan.
These hotels will bookend Princes Dock on Prince Parade, overlooking the waterfront. One will be located between the existing Crowne Plaza Hotel and the river and the second close to the residential block Alexandra Tower.
If both projects go ahead that would mean Princes Dock would be the location for four hotels with the development also currently home to the Malmaison.
This latest masterplan for Liverpool Waters has been updated to incorporate ideas put forward by the local community. The original masterplan for the 30-year project was approved 11 years ago.
It was before the growth of home and hybrid working, and before the emerging destination was approved to become the home of Everton Football Club’s new £750m stadium.
Liverpool City Council’s long-running stand-off with UNESCO, which eventually saw Liverpool lose World Heritage Status in July 2021, had already seen Peel modify some of its plans, particularly around the height of some of the proposed buildings.
Although Peel has yet to release full details of the new masterplan, Place North West reported in January this year that it had reduced the amount of office space from the original 3.3m sq ft to 1.2m sq ft.
Retail provision has also been cut from 880,000 sq ft to 280,000 sq ft. Residential is down from 7.2m sq ft sq ft to 6.6m sq ft, while leisure has been cut back from 355,000 sq ft to 290,000 sq ft.
Much of the change has been driven by Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock which was not part of the original plans.
A community engagement exercise, carried out last year, revealed that the people of Liverpool are overwhelmingly positive and excited about the regeneration that is underway at Liverpool Waters.
Feedback from the public saw requests for the masterplan to include more public green spaces and further preservation to unique elements of the docks, through the creation of more dockside open space.
People also asked for a more diverse and affordable housing offer, and for community and connectivity, bringing people together and ensuring that the area is easily accessed.
There were also concerns about the impact of climate change. Sustainability is key to the revised Liverpool Waters masterplan with the design minimising the need for cars and including better integration with public transport.
And there is also enhanced infrastructure to support cycling, all of which form part of a wider strategy to support environmental and economic sustainability.
Chris Capes, development director for Liverpool Waters, said: “We are really grateful to everyone who took the time to share their views on the future of our city’s waterfront.
“This was a very important part of the process in the future development of Liverpool Waters and the feedback we received was incredibly valuable. The people of Liverpool have contributed, and we have acted on it.
“We have created a new masterplan that is very exciting for the city of Liverpool and everyone who lives and works here. We are looking forward to submitting the revised Liverpool Waters Masterplan to Liverpool City Council in mid-June.”
More details of the revised Liverpool Waters Masterplan, including new CGI images, will be released when the plan is submitted to Liverpool City Council in June.