Planners give green light to new four star-plus hotel project

Oct 15 2008 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

PLANS to revive and extend Liverpool’s Watson Building into a four star-plus hotel have been approved by city planners.

The site, a Grade II listed building, formerly part of Lewis’s department store, and the neighbouring former Rapid Hardware paint shop, were bought by Central Regeneration, a joint venture of Merepark and Irish developer Ballymore, last year.

The 70,000 sq ft Watson Building will be extended onto the former Rapid site to form a 170,000 sq ft, 180 bedroom, four star-plus hotel designed by international architects Woods Bagot.

An international hotel operator has already been secured and the scheme’s approval will secure a further £50m investment for the city centre.

The development will see the rejuvenation of the mainly unoccupied Watson building.

Ian Jones, director of Merepark, said: “Working closely with our architects, Woods Bagot, we have developed a scheme which responds well to the local surroundings and provides another dynamic link to Central Village.

“Sustainability is at the centre of our vision, and we’re confident that the development will result in an exciting mixed-use quarter.”