Liverpool City Council has secured £55m of funding from Homes England to support infrastructure development and accelerate the regeneration of Central Docks within the Liverpool Waters brownfield site.
The news of the Brownfield Infrastructure Land (BIL) grant funding coincided with Peel Waters formally submitting a new masterplan to the council for the 60-hectare waterfront site.
The council approved the original masterplan for Liverpool Waters in 2013. In addition to housing Everton Football Club’s new 52,000 seat stadium (pictured), the site will also accommodate a new public park, more green spaces and dockside open space and the infrastructure to support the delivery of 2,500 homes.
According to Peel Waters, the revised masterplan includes a “more diverse and affordable housing offer, and will put sustainability, community, and accessibility at its heart”.
Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “This new funding from Homes England will help transform one of the country’s major brownfield sites and act as a huge economic catalyst for north Liverpool. I was delighted to hear the new chancellor cite Liverpool Waters as a key scheme in her first speech in the Treasury. Liverpool City Council stands ready to help deliver that mission to unlock our brownfield sites to kickstart a new era of house building.
“The Central Docks scheme has the potential to be a true flagship scheme of what can be achieved by a partnership between central and local government and the private sector. A huge amount of work has gone into our draft waterfront plan and housing strategy and it’s exciting to see such a key scheme getting ready to be delivered. Its success would mark a new decade of delivery this city deserves.”
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, added: “Britain is under new management and, in just a few days, we are already starting to see the difference. Working hand in hand with government at a national, regional and local level we can make an enormous difference and drive growth locally. The development of Central Docks, alongside the ongoing work to regenerate Bramley Moore and Bootle, has the potential to be a catalyst for growth and wider regeneration for great swathes of South Sefton and North Liverpool, creating jobs and attracting investment.
“The Central Docks site was identified in the Liverpool Strategic Advisory Panel’s final report as a site for potential development. The £55m we’ve received is an enormous statement of intent – on top of the £31m we secured for the city back in March. I’d like to pay tribute to the late Sir Howard Bernstein for all the support and expertise he brought to the panel’s work.”
Peter Denton, chief executive of Homes England, said: “I am beyond pleased to see continued progress at Central Docks as part of the city’s clear vision to completely regenerate Liverpool Waters for the people it serves. The provision of funding and expertise, as part of a long-term partnership with the council, the mayor and the wider sector, is exactly what Homes England is here to do – supporting local places aiming to unlock the potential for change, growth and the creation of sustainable, vibrant communities.”
Chris Capes, development director for Liverpool Waters, added: “Our new vision for Liverpool Waters is both exciting and inspiring, and has been driven by the people of Liverpool and the demand for more green and sustainable places where people can enjoy a higher quality of life. Central Docks alone will deliver thousands of new homes, alongside commercial, retail, leisure and community infrastructure and public spaces over the next 10 years.”
Capes said the company had not “compromised on the scale and ambition of this project, but we have reflected on what is most important for the future of this historic site, both as an international tourist destination and for the communities who want to live and work here every day.
“The views and feedback given by local people as part of this process has been incredibly valuable and we are very pleased that we have been able to act on this feedback. The new Liverpool Waters Masterplan has now been submitted to Liverpool City Council and we look forward to hearing the outcome in due course.”
Developer Romal Capital, which brought forward the first schemes on Peel Land and Property’s Central Docks in Liverpool, has called for ‘careful scrutiny’ of how the £55m of public money allocated for infrastructure is accounted for in future plot sales following its own experience of accessing power on the site.
Greg Malouf, managing director of Romal Capital, said: “It’s very encouraging that Homes England is to provide this shot in the arm for Central Docks. We have delivered two high quality apartment blocks and are on site with the first of our next three, and we’re extremely keen to see the overall development move forward at pace.
“Our own experience of bringing utilities into the site informs our caution. Peel sought to charge us £695,000 to bring power to our next two blocks, which we felt was an unfair apportionment of the costs they would face. We spoke with Scottish Power, and they were able to give us access to the same quantity of power for £11,000. We’ve asked Peel for a breakdown of their costs, but none has been forthcoming.
“That’s quite a difference and I worry that maintaining such a stance will deter other developers from moving forward on Central Docks. That would be a pity, particularly given the public money at play. I’m therefore asking government to provide reassurance on how they will monitor the deployment of the money and what controls will be in place to avoid such a scenario being repeated on future plot sales. I can certainly understand why the scheme is in the new chancellor’s sights.”
Labour councillor Dave Hanratty, who represents Waterfront North ward, added: “The public has a right to expect that taxpayers’ money will be used efficiently and fairly. Value for money must be our byword and I will make it my mission to ensure that any public investment in infrastructure at Central Docks achieves its aim of bringing forward much-needed new housing and public open spaces without delay.”
A spokesperson for Peel Waters said: “We do not comment on commercially confidential agreements with our partners and suppliers. We are totally transparent with our public sector partners regarding how funds are invested, and the allocation of resources is closely monitored.
“Over many years Peel Waters have made substantial investments in essential infrastructure to provide serviced plots for our partner developers. Some of these costs are recovered from developers that wish to use that infrastructure and electrical capacity. There are no charges that relate to publicly installed or owned infrastructure. Developers are free to work with other suppliers to deliver infrastructure at their own cost.”
