Carpenter Investments bags Liverpool consent
The developer’s revised 14-storey development at 1 Kings Dock Street has the green light, while Equans Regeneration’s 90-home project at the Grafton Rooms was given a cautious thumbs-up, but must be run past Historic England.
Following an earlier consent secured in January 2024, Carpenter Investments revised its proposals for the former Wapping Station site, with in-house designerL7 Architects adding 36 flats to the project.
Situated on the edge of the Baltic Triangle, the scheme will provide 297 apartments and 13,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial and retail space, plus basement car parking.
The developer has increased the volume of two- and three-bedroom apartments at the scheme, reducing one-beds. Apartments are on average 6% larger than nationally described space standards and all apartments have balconies or terraces. There are two areas of rooftop gardens and shared resident facilities.
Alan Beer, joint managing director for the applicant, said: “This is a fantastic location and the homes on offer will be beautiful, spacious places to live. The building is also incredibly important as a driver for the continued growth and development of the Baltic Triangle as one of the city’s most popular places to live.
“We expect it to the first of several applications on the wider Kings Dock Street site, which we will be bringing forward in due course.
“We have funding in place for an immediate start. We have alongside the application completed a full submission to the Building Safety Regulator and believe this will be one of the first schemes in the city to be fully compliant with the new Building Safety Act.”
Although one storey taller, the overall height of the scheme has not increased.
Alastair Shepherd, who has led L7 as managing director since summer 2024, said: “There is a real commitment to the quality of homes being provided, with generous internal spaces as well as a commitment to providing amenity space for all residents.
“We have been careful to respect heritage assets close to the site, meaning the building was well received by the local authority. It will make a really positive impact on the waterfront.”
The project team includes TERM Engineers, QED, Keegan Group and The Planning Studio. The main contractor will be Carpenter Build. Planning documents for the scheme can be viewed at 22F/2748.
Equans Regeneration has also seen its proposals cleared at committee – although a full decision is pending any objection from Historic England, a statutory consultee that has not yet weighed in on the proposal.
A six-storey apartment block is lined up to replace the iconic nightclub off West Derby Road, with plans to create 90 affordable flats next door to the Olympia building.
Equans submitted plans to Liverpool City Council to demolish the vacant Grafton Rooms building and breathe new life into the Kensington site in 2023.
The Studio RBA-designed scheme would provide 47 one- and 43 two-bedroom rent-to-buy apartments, to be owned and managed by affordable housing provider Sovini.
The Edwardian Neoclassical frontage of the former Grafton Ballroom would be retained and incorporated into the scheme.
Savills is advising Equans on the proposals. The project team also includes E3P, Clancy Consulting, Prime Transport Planning, LK Group, and Redmore Environmental.
Want to learn more about the plans? Search for application umber 23F/1939 on Liverpool’s planning portal.
Carpenter submitted their application in 2022, now after over 18 months of being mauled by Liverpool Planning they’ve got planning agreement for a building that was submitted initially for 15 storeys.
You have to wonder if Liverpool City Council want people to invest there or not.
By Anonymous
More great news for Liverpool
By Anonymous
Decent scale at Kings Dock so well done to the developer there. Needs more of the same and hopefully the rest of the site will follow.
By Mike
Good scale for that area and hopefully a sign of things to come on the rest of the site.
By Mike