28-storey ‘Pathfinder’ tower set to to kick-start £1bn development in Liverpool

The planning application for a 28-storey residential tower on the first plot of the £1bn King Edward development is to be heard this month.

The tower, designed by scheme master planners Brock Carmichael, will go before Liverpool City Council’s planning committee on February 17th with a recommendation to approve.

The development comprises 255 one, two and three-bed apartments and is described as a ‘pathfinder’ that will set the tone for the scheme’s wider ambitions.

“This is welcome news and follows a lot of consultation and hard work from all sides to arrive at this position. I welcome the recommendation to approve and await the committee’s scrutiny keenly,” said Hugh Frost, of Beetham Davos.

The application, the first for the c. 8-acre site, focuses on the plot which includes the former Bacchus Taverna at the junction of Waterloo Road and the now stopped-up Galton Street, at the scheme’s northwest boundary.

“This is a confident articulation of the wider site’s potential and sets the design tone for our aspirations,” said Chris Bolland, managing partner of Brock Carmichael. “With half the football season under our belt we can see just how busy this frontage is when Everton play at home, so our plan to animate the ground floor on two frontages with leisure occupiers has proven to be prescient.”

The building ‘beats anything in the city’ with regards to amenity space, says Darren Muir of Pegasus Group, planning consultant for the development.

“If approved, the tower will set the benchmark for residents’ amenity, with almost fifty square feet of shared space per apartment,” he notes.

A residents’ lounge, gym and workspace will be provided on the first floor, with the top floor boasting two indoor lounges and a large outdoor space for barbecues and social gatherings. The outdoor space will enjoy 360-degree views of the city skyline, river Mersey and the Welsh mountains beyond.

The proposals include 15 per cent parking provision and suggest the following split between 1-, 2- and 3-bed units.

1-bed – 127 units
2-bed – 123 units
3-bed – 5 units

Pegasus Group is providing planning, economics, heritage and EIA Services to the client team behind the King Edward scheme. Brock Carmichael are the masterplan architects, with Planit leading on landscape design.