Decision looms for 28-storey tower at heart of 1bn Liverpool skyline transformation

The residential development will form part of the wider regeneration of King Edward Triangle

A decision is to be made on plans for a new 28-storey tower that will kickstart a £1bn project to transform Liverpool’s waterfront skyline. Should members of the city council agree, a new block will be created with more than 255 new one- and two-bed apartments.

A planning application was lodged in June last year by Davos Property Developments Limited in conjunction with Beetham Davos Ltd to create a 28-storey residential tower on the first plot of their £1bn King Edward site. Beetham joined forces with KEIE – part of the TJ Morris group which owns Home Bargains – to buy the former King Edward industrial estate on Gibraltar Row on the edge of Liverpool city centre for a landmark high-rise development.

Part of the Liverpool Waters scheme, a long-term project from Peel Waters to transform the city’s post-industrial northern docklands, the King Edward project will be a high-rise residential development comprising more than 1,000 apartments. Planning officers have recommended city councillors give their approval to the scheme.

The tower, designed by Brock Carmichael, comprises 255 one- and two-bedroom apartments.

The submission 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 northwest boundary of the seven-acre development site.

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.

Hugh Frost, of Beetham Davos, said: “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.” Chris Bolland, managing partner of Brock Carmichael, added: “This is a confident articulation of the wider site’s potential and sets the design tone for our aspirations.

“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 King Edward Triangle is one of the five neighbourhoods of Liverpool Waters, combined with Central Docks, Clarence Docks, Princes Dock and Northern Docks.

The full site stretches from the northern edge of Liverpool city centre to Bramley-Moore Dock, where Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson stadium has been built.

The scheme has been recommended for approval by members of the council’s planning committee when it meets at Liverpool Town Hall next week.