A huge vacant area next to the Baltic Triangle's Cains Brewery could soon be occupied by hundreds of new homes, offices and green space.
Plans have been submitted to regenerate the large area around St James' Church and neighbouring estate in Dingle , which would also include a play area and 10,000sq ft of office space to support the thriving tech district.
The council agreed to sell developer Elliot Group the land last month, and proposals for the grassed-over Flat Iron site on the west side of St James Place include investment in existing green space along Gore Street, as BusinessLive reports .
Around 220 apartments and townhouses are proposed in two blocks for the site behind Cains Brewery on Upper Stanhope Street, and the development will include 10,000 square feet of new workspace to complement the Baltic Triangle's current offering.
On the east side of St James Place, facing Head Street, a neglected industrial estate will be demolished and replaced with a mix of 130 town houses and apartments.
If the housing-led application is approved it will see two brownfield sites on the southern boundary of the city’s Baltic tech district "comprehensively regenerated".
Developer Elliot Lawless said the move came after two previous proposals, including plans to restore the church, failed to get off the ground.
He said: "We’ve had to put our thinking caps on here to deliver a scheme that is right for the neighbourhood.
“The local community and Cllr Steve Munby have been extremely helpful in guiding us towards an appropriate solution and I’m delighted that we can offer such a comprehensive package with green space at the heart of the masterplan.
“In the three consultation events and a walk-around local people were clear about the type and scale of housing they wanted so we’ve reduced the quantity of homes by 25 per cent and upped our investment in open space.”
The developer is seeking permission to refurbish and re-design the existing ‘pocket park’ on Gore Street. Mr Lawless said the "overwhelming majority" of the mature trees on the site would be retained and replacements planted for those that would be lost.
Submission of the planning application follows four separate consultations with local residents and councillors in the period up to the cabinet meeting in October.
Architect Alastair Shepherd of Falconer Chester Hall, who led the public meetings with local residents, said the scheme seeks to address their key concerns in an imaginative way.
“People told us that fly tipping and anti-social behaviour were a real issue. The green spaces in their current form aren’t safe or an enjoyable place to spend time, so a combination of enhanced management and the benefits of passive surveillance from new residents will help deal with that. The community also made practical suggestions to help maintain key views and reduce massing, which we have been able to take on board.”
Earlier proposals had included a fourth block of apartments on the southern boundary of the site and higher buildings on Head Street but discussions with local residents have seen these removed and substantially reduced in height respectively.
Six per cent of the site’s green space will be lost under the proposals, while the quality of the public realm will be "vastly improved", Mr Lawless added.
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“It is really important that we listen to people and take account of their views.
“This is about adding value to the local area in a way which enhances it for existing residents as much as for the new ones who will be attracted to live and work here.”
The developers said that during the consultation, discussions were held with transport authorities to ensure that the scheme could not jeopardise proposals for the re-opening of the neighbouring St James underground station.
Views were also sought from representatives of the Baltic creative industries to ensure that the commercial space was suitable for the needs of the area’s employers.
A planning application for the £55m development is expected to be submitted during December.
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