A public consultation has commenced on the final masterplan for the £1.2bn Kings project on Liverpool’s waterfront.
The proposals for the site include a 70-storey tower incorporating a five-star hotel and luxury residences, designed by SimpsonHaugh.
Ten buildings are proposed for Kings, which will be divided into three zones, with the scheme’s residential element at the northern end, linking the nearby communities of Waterloo Dock and Pall Mall.
Office space will be located at the development’s southern end and will act as a bridge between the business district and Princes Dock office quarters, with the scheme’s leisure zone in the middle.
The hybrid application will seek detailed consent for layout, site services and some of the buildings, with outline consent for the remaining building plots.
The application will include four residential towers, two hotels, Grade A office space, a new arts venue, shared workspace for start-ups and tech businesses and a range of food, beverage and leisure outlets.
Chris Bolland, from Liverpool-based Brock Carmichael Architects, said: “This is a key moment in the shaping of our final proposals. An awful lot of hard work has gone into our designs, taking into consideration everything from heritage and permeability to layout, massing and scale. The council has been a key partner and offered a robust challenge which has helped us deliver a very strong set of proposals. Now we need to hear what the people of Liverpool and Wirral think.”
He added: “We may have missed something or may be able to enhance certain elements of our proposals, so the consultation is about tapping into the wisdom of crowds. We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas and whilst we back these proposals 100%, who’s to say they can’t be improved with a tweak or two here and there?”
Hugh Frost, chairman of Beetham Davos, acting for the applicant KEIE Limited, said: “This is everyone’s skyline and the online consultation will help ensure we fully reflect the views of people from across Merseyside. We have thought very carefully about historic sight-lines from the Wirral shore and are in no doubt that the development, when complete, will add huge value and interest to those of its residents and businesses with views of Liverpool.”
Members of the public will be able to review the plans and speak to the design, planning, heritage and transport teams behind the proposals from 10am–7pm on 1 May and 10am-4pm on 2 May at the Radisson Blu hotel on Old Hall Street in Liverpool. In addition, a full consultation website mirroring the exhibition’s contents went live on 1 May for members of the public who cannot attend the exhibition.
