Land and property totalling 22.2 acres in south Liverpool has housed University of Liverpool students since 1964 but will now be sold for residential development. Tony McDonough reports
Residential developers are being invited to bid for land and property in south Liverpool currently occupied by University of Liverpool halls of residence.
The university has instructed its in-house property team to market Carnatic Halls in Mossley Hill. Students have been living at the site since 1964. No guide price has been published but it is likely to be worth several million pounds.
It closed its doors to students in June 2019 as part of the university’s long-term residences strategy which has seen the opening of new accommodation sites on campus and refurbishment of Greenbank Student Village. These collectively provide more than 4,000 accommodation spaces for students.
This coupled with the ageing nature of the buildings on the site meant it was no longer considered suitable for the current needs of the university’s students.
The Carnatic site covers approximately 22.2 acres (8.98 hectares) and represents a significant development opportunity in what is a popular south Liverpool suburb. The former accommodation buildings are still in-situ, and will remain as part of the sale. The rest of the site comprises of open grassland and a small wooded area.
A pre-application report was issued by Liverpool City Council in November 2018 which considered redevelopment of the site for residential purposes to be acceptable in principle. A development framework has also been produced and agreed through consultation with the council.
Chris Lewis, property manager at the University of Liverpool, said: “We are bringing the Carnatic residences site to market. It represents a significant residential development opportunity and we anticipate a high level of interest.
“Public consultations will occur through the planning process once a developer has been chosen to acquire the site, however the university intends to keep closely associated throughout the process.”
Offers are being invited for the site by informal tender and are to be conditional on the outcome of a successful planning application. Enquiries can be made via email to carnaticlandsale@liverpool.ac.uk