Liverpool City Council takes first step to market key gateway site
Liverpool City Council has appointed global real estate advisory firm, CBRE, to prepare the recently acquired Great George Street site for the delivery of a mixed-use regeneration scheme.
Following a competitive tender process, CBRE has been chosen by the Council to provide professional support in developing a business case to define the optimum vision and route to market for the key city centre gateway site.
CBRE has teamed up with Liverpool-based architect firm, Brock Carmichael, to work on the design element of the business case, and will undertake early market and community engagement to inform the proposals.
The Great George Street site is a 4.55 acre 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.
In a major step forward to unlock development, the City Council succeeded in the High Court last November to secure the site under its own unified ownership (as the freeholder of the site), clearing the way for new homes and businesses on this critical site.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) supported the Council’s approach, with an allocation of £10million funding to complete the purchase and bring forward development options for the site.
This is the latest positive step in building confidence in Liverpool’s exciting investment pipeline, and joins the unlocking of other major brownfield sites such as the nearby Festival Gardens and Central Docks at Liverpool Waters.
The legal ratification also demonstrates the City Council’s commitment to address a legacy of stalled development sites across Liverpool, following its successful exit from statutory government intervention.
The Great George Street site is also closely linked to opportunities being realised in the neighbouring Baltic Triangle, where the new Liverpool Baltic Station has secured £96 million of funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and is due to open in 2027.
Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, said:
“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.
“I’d like to thank Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and the government for their support in this process. I am looking forward to delivering new opportunities, homes and businesses, to create a vibrant and positive future for our historic Chinatown district.”
CBRE senior director, Andrew Playfer, added:
“CBRE is delighted to have been instructed by Liverpool City Council (LCC ) 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 of Liverpool.”
