Liverpool City Council has entered into a legal agreement with development partners Urban Splash and igloo to deliver the transformation of the former Festival Gardens site on Liverpool’s south waterfront.
The site has long been earmarked for redevelopment, but faced significant environmental and contamination challenges. Extensive remediation and enabling works were completed in January 2024 thanks to funding from Homes England, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool City Council, leaving the site ready for development.
The proposals for the site would see circa 800 homes delivered, including a mix of market and affordable housing, with up to 441 homes delivered in the first phase.
The neighbourhood will combine a rich diversity of architecture, landscape, innovative construction and beautifully crafted homes to create a sustainable, welcoming new neighbourhood with a unique character.
Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for economy and growth, said: “Festival Gardens is one of Liverpool’s most iconic regeneration opportunities, and this decision represents another major step towards bringing the site back into use. The agreement allows us to move forward with plans that will deliver hundreds of much-needed new homes, attract investment and create a thriving new neighbourhood on our waterfront. The site has undergone extensive remediation work over recent years, and we can now focus on turning our vision for Festival Gardens into reality.”
Duncan Inglis, regional director for the North West at Homes England, added: “As the government’s housing and regeneration agency, we aim to support public and private sector partners to unlock strategic housing sites, where brownfield, infrastructure or land projects face delivery challenges. In South Liverpool, the Festival Gardens site is a prime example of this. This new regeneration has been part-funded by our Local Authority Accelerated Construction scheme, which showcases how we continue to work closely with mayoral authorities and local councils to meet the needs of their communities.”
Joe Broadley, development director at igloo, said: “This latest milestone signifies an important moment for the new neighbourhood at Festival Gardens. The iconic waterfront site will be a major catalyst for the growth of the city region, unlocking opportunity for collaboration across the various programmes of delivery. We’re now looking forward to working closely with the community, Urban Splash and our partners to create something truly special over the coming months and years.”
Jonathan Falkingham MBE, co-founder of Urban Splash, added: “This is huge progress for Festival Gardens and Liverpool as a whole. It’s a major new development that will not only create a vibrant, inclusive neighbourhood but also provide local employment opportunities on this long-standing site. With Urban Splash and igloo working in partnership, we’re combining decades of experience to turn this large-scale regeneration project into a community Liverpool can be proud of. We’re excited to bring this landmark project to life.”
