The redevelopment of Liverpool’s north docks could take a substantial step forward with a new public park at the centre of the latest plans.
In May, Peel L&P, which owns the Liverpool Waters site, revealed plans for what it called ‘Central Park', a new publicly accessible greenspace which would be at the heart of its Central Docks neighbourhood. Plans have now been officially submitted to Liverpool city council to build the park and supporting infrastructure linking up the Liverpool Waters site.
According to Peel, Central Docks will be the largest of five planned neighbourhoods within Liverpool Waters. The area covers the largely derelict former dockland stretching from Jesse Hartley Way near to where Everton’s new stadium is currently under construction at Bramley Moore Dock.
READ MORE: Huge ‘Central Park’ could be one of Liverpool’s largest green spaces
Future plans for the Central Docks site include the construction of thousands of new homes alongside commercial, retail and leisure opportunities. The plans also include improvements to connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists from the city centre and Princes Dock through to Everton’s new stadium.
The park itself, if approved, has the ambition to be one of the largest greenspaces in close vicinity to Liverpool City Centre. At 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres), it will include the planting of over 1,000 trees and feature a range of additions that celebrate the area’s industrial heritage. This addition came off the back of a public consultation which was carried out over the last few months.
Peel was granted outline planning permission for the Liverpool Waters site in 2012 and has aimed to stimulate £5bn worth of investment through the project. So far, new residential and office developments have taken place around the Princes Dock area, with planning permission recently granted for over 300 apartments at Waterloo dock following an appeal.
There has been some criticism over the speed of development across the project, but, speaking to the ECHO in May, Peel said that it hopes the plans for Central Park could provide a more human feel to the site. Alongside residential and office developments, large scale industrial projects are also underway in the Isle of Man Ferry Terminal and Everton’s new stadium.
Chris Capes, Peel L&P’s Development Director for Liverpool Waters, said: “This is a very exciting moment for Liverpool Waters as the submission of this planning application is critical to the development of Central Docks. These proposals are significant for Liverpool and the North West, and will enable development of the whole neighbourhood over the next ten years. At the same time, we are setting a quality benchmark for all new public realm in later phases of Liverpool Waters.
“In this planning application, which incorporates the feedback we have received from the local community and key stakeholders in our recent consultation and engagement exercise, we have set out how we plan to bring the Central Docks neighbourhood to life.
“The design and development of Central Docks and Central Park is significant because it is such a large area that will enrich the lives of everyone in Liverpool as well as the millions of people who visit our great city every year.
“We want the Central Docks neighbourhood to be a sustainable location that the local community are proud of, where they want to enjoy and spend time and where they can feel Liverpool’s connection to its industrial dockland heritage.
“If planning is granted by the Local Planning Authority, delivery of the park and strategic infrastructure will enable the delivery of the individual development plots within Central Docks over the next 10 years.”
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