Liverpool evolved from a market town to become the most famous trading city in the world.  Formerly one of the UK's major shopping centres, Liverpool's retail status declined during the 1990's in the face of competition from its regional rivals and the growth of out-of-town retail centres such as The Trafford Centre near Manchester and Cheshire Oaks in Ellesmere Port.  With the Liverpool economy having picked up significantly since 2000, its citizens have more money to spend and there is now a major opportunity to address this situation and re-establish Liverpool as a premier retail destination.

Since October 2004, work has been steaming ahead on Grosvenor's £800 million ambitious redevelopment of the Paradise Street area of the city centre - the largest retail scheme in Europe.  The project comprises over 1.6 million square feet of new shopping space, and will also improve access to the Albert Dock, creating a much-needed link between the waterfront and the city centre.  The 42.5 acre scheme will contain over 30 individually designed buildings, anchored by a 240,000 sq ft John Lewis department store, the chain's largest in the North West.  This will be joined by fellow retailer Debenhams, two hotels, a gallery, new bus station, new public park, cinema and parking for 3,000 vehicles.  The scheme is expected to be complete by the end of 2007 - in time for Liverpool's year as Capital of Culture in 2008.

Why is it needed and what has Liverpool City Council done to make it happen?

In the late 1990's there had been a growing realisation that Liverpool City Centre was not being properly utilised, and that it had the potential to make a major contribution to the economic regeneration of the Merseyside sub-region and the Northwest as a whole.  In order to achieve this, we recognised that mechanisms needed to be put in place whereby the City could re-establish its position as a major retailing shopping centre, but that first, a proper understanding of this key retail function was required, with a review of future retail opportunities within the City Centre.

The Council appointed retail consultants Healey & Baker to undertake a full assessment of the City Centre shopping provision.  This study, published in 1999, concluded that there was a need for approximately 1 million square feet of additional retail floor space, and identified the Paradise Street Development Area, (PSDA), as the most appropriate location given its closeness to the existing retail area, its poor physical condition, its historic significance and its potential to regenerate the adjoining areas.  The study was then transformed through a process of extensive consultation with the Council's key partners, including Liverpool Vision and Merseytravel, the retail industry and the general public, into formal Council planning policies which in turn, have recently been successfully incorporated into the Council's Liverpool Unitary Development Plan, (LUDP), following a major Public Inquiry.  

In parallel with this process, the Council recognised the critical importance of the proactive role we could play as a major landowner of key sites within the identified development area, thereby giving birth to a completely different approach to the way the City sought to implement its policy objectives.   From the outset, it was acknowledged that it would be impractical to deal with a number of individual sites, talking to individual owners and various developers each with differing commercial requirements and approaches - and that what was needed was a coordinated, flexible and comprehensive approach via one overall developer which could evolve in consultation over a period of time.  Officers therefore embarked upon a developer selection process involving Members, the Council's partners, including Liverpool Vision, aimed at the appointment of long term developer partner who understood the City, its heritage and recent past, and with whom the Council could evolve a scheme for the area in concert with all relevant agencies and the general public, rather than selecting a developed scheme representing only a "snap shot" in time.

Over 30 international developers responded to the initial brief issued by the City Council in 2000, and Grosvenor - owned by the Duke of Westminster - was the company which was chosen as the development partner.  Innovative working arrangements and delivery structures were put in place resulting in the Council being able to participate in the successful evolution of a Masterplan for the PSDA as an equal and proactive partner.  The Masterplan formed the basis of an application for planning permission, submitted formally only after a process of extensive consultation which included Member Working Groups, design workshops and open meetings, building on the community engagement programme initiated by Liverpool Vision. The application was subsequently revised in October 2001 and March 2002 in response to further comments made as part of this ongoing process, and was approved by the Planning Committee in September 2002.

Moving forward

The delivery of the PSDA represents a £750 million direct capital investment, and forms a key element of Liverpool's wider regeneration strategy for tackling issues of poverty, equality and unemployment, and is central to the objectives of Liverpool Vision's Strategic Framework for the City Centre.  The PSDA provides the opportunity for creating an environment for economic and social growth and improvement through an integrated and fully accessible development, which will benefit the continuing physical renaissance taking place in the City Centre, preserving and enhancing the historic fabric whilst providing opportunities for major improvements across the City.

The inclusive process, through joint working, Member involvement, wide consultation and participation, satisfies the requirements of Best Value, and is about getting things right first time. 

A clear endorsement of the Council's iterative, inclusive approach has been provided not only by the successful outcome of the Liverpool Unitary Development Plan Inquiry, but also by the more recent decision of the Deputy Prime Minister not to intervene in the Council's determination of the planning application.  The Council's approach is now accepted as an exemplar of leading edge urban regeneration, reported favourably by the media on many occasions, and cited as a major case study at a European retail conference in Turin, thereby raising the profile of the City as a "premier European City". 

Given the complexity of the process and issues raised, the Council has throughout been advised by specialist consultants in a unique collaboration which has maximised the benefits to the Council whilst serving as a significant signal of the commitment and professionalism of the City to the private sector. 

Overall, the project took a key Council aim and delivered it through a combination of vision, commitment and significant individual effort.

What the scheme will contain:

The Paradise Street site has been sub-divided into six zones, each with its own distinctive character:-

• Paradise Street will become a wide pedestrianised boulevard appealing to younger shoppers.  At one end will be a host of major high-street names.  Pavement cafes and leisure activities will make this zone a busy hive of activity.
  
  
• Hanover Street will be a lifestyle-focused district with an eclectic atmosphere.  There will be a clutter of homeware shops - some behind the renovated frontages of existing buildings.  The district will also feature a street market, BBC Radio Merseyside, Friends Meeting House and Herbert's Hair Salon Training School.
  
  
• Peter's Lane  is envisaged as a designer-led area centred around two new squares, narrow streets and traditional arcades.  The range of shops will attract  the fashion conscious.
  
  
• South John Street will be a family-orientated district at the heart of the new shopping area.  It will feature Debenhams and a range of well-known stores selling music, books, children's goods and fashion accessories.  Shopping will be on two levels.
  
  
• The Park, centred on the existing Chavasse Park, will cover 5.5 acres and include terraces with a range of eating places.  Beneath the park will be an underground car park, accessed from The Strand, with over 2000 parking spaces.
  
  
• Travel Interchange, completed in November 2005 in Canning Place, is a new public transport hub providing a point of arrival into the heart of the city as well as the waterfront.                       

Further information:

For more detailed information about the Paradise Project, including historical data about the site, more detail about the proposals and press releases, see Grosvenor's Paradise Project website.