recently announced New Town Taskforce submission, which spans 5km from just north of Liverpool city centre, across Everton, Anfield, and Kirkdale and into Bootle and Sefton.
Once approved by the Council, the framework will be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document to aid decision making, facilitate delivery, and provide certainty for investors.
Councillor Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Growth and Development, said: “The future development of St George’s Gateway is a hugely critical part of our vision for the next phase in the regeneration of Liverpool city centre and how it connects into North Liverpool.
“This project represents a unique opportunity to re-shape this key gateway site and help the city attract investors in creating a truly world-class experience to match the area’s unrivalled architecture and history. I’m delighted we’ve appointed a highly experienced and skilled team to lead this piece of work and look forward to the engagement phase beginning to hear the views of our residents and businesses on this exciting chapter in the future of our city.”
Mark Graham, Director at LDA Design, said: “St George’s has all the ingredients needed to create a world-class gateway for Liverpool. We are, therefore, very excited to be working with the Council to realize the potential of this historically and culturally significant area of Liverpool.
“We are thrilled to also be working with National Museums Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University to forge key regenerative partnerships and shape a shared vision for the site. This plan will need to respond to a diverse audience – shaping a place that benefits residents, students, visitors, and local businesses – and we are eager to gather ideas as soon as possible on how we can shape a high-quality place and deliver sensitive development at the heart of Liverpool city center.”
Dr Aileen Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement and Partnerships) at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), said: “We are delighted to be working with our partners at Liverpool City Council and National Museums Liverpool to shape this major regeneration project for the city.
“St George’s Gateway, which incorporates LJMU’s City Campus, is a world-class cultural area and a key gateway site. We look forward to continuing to engage with our partners throughout the process to bring forward a development that will further enhance our city for the benefit of our communities.”
Laura Pye, Director of National Museums Liverpool said: “We are pleased to be working with Liverpool City Council and Liverpool John Moores University to fully realize the vision for St George’s Gateway. Two of our major cultural venues World Museum and Walker Art Gallery have sat proudly on William Brown Street for the past 150 years and have welcomed millions of visitors in that time.
“World Museum holds significant natural history and Egyptology collections and houses an active team of expert curators in botany, entomology, zoology, geology, and other specialisms, who frequently support global research projects.
“Walker Art Gallery is an international destination for art lovers, housing classical masterpieces from the Pre-Raphaelites to contemporary works, and hosts the prestigious John Moores Painting Prize, the UK’s longest-running painting competition. We look forward to them being integral to St George’s Gateway becoming a major destination in Liverpool for future generations to continue to enjoy.”
The St George’s Gateway framework is underpinned by six guiding principles, based on enhancing the quality of the place and its environment:
- Set out detailed public realm and landscape interventions, with a clear strategy for reconnecting this part of the city center with an emphasis on improved walkability, active travel, legibility, and permeability, connecting this area and north Liverpool into the city center.
- Propose deliverable transport improvements and interventions in the context of an emerging city center mobility strategy (Urban Mobility and Public Spaces Strategy), and a drive towards active travel and net zero.
- Promote the introduction of green space for enhanced biodiversity, climate mitigation, improved placemaking, creating micro-climates, and capturing surface water runoff.
- Identify and propose interventions to unlock and maximize the value of potential development sites and land use strategy.
- Set out potential interventions for the creative reuse of derelict or underused buildings.
- Set design codes for the area; character areas; and sites including appropriate use and design/place requirements which respond to unique character and context.
