PLANS for the development of Liverpool’s international gateway will be progressed by a consortium led by Liverpool One masterplanners BDP.
The architecture practice, which will be moving from its Ropewalks base to new offices in Liverpool One in the spring, will prepare and complete a Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the gateway area around Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA), to the south of the city.
Its consortium, which includes King Sturge, Inner City Solutions and Martin Stockley Associates, was appointed by economic development agency Liverpool Vision after a tendering process.
The purpose of the framework is to ensure the “co-ordinated delivery of quality employment-led development”.
It will also communicate the aspirations for the area and will help investors, developers, service providers, stakeholders and the local community maximise the opportunities the gateway offers.
Andrew Teage, planning director of BDP North, said: “The International Gateway is widely recognised for its regeneration success over the past 15 years and this study will be significant in defining the agenda for the next 15 years and beyond. BDP, together with the other members of the consortium, will focus on delivering a development framework that shapes a distinctive identity for the area and is effective in growing and promoting the regional significance of the International Gateway.
“This, in turn, will deliver opportunities and benefits to the communities of south Liverpool.” The International Gateway, which has benefited from a regeneration programme since 1996, is strong in the automotive, chemical and customer service sectors.
Its major employers include Jaguar Land Rover, Eli Lilly, Novartis, the National Biomanufacturing Centre and Shop Direct.
At the heart of its development is the growing JLA, which welcomed 875,000 passengers in 1998 to a peak of 5.5m in 2007. Even with the recession, it will have handled nearly 5m passengers in 2009.
Liverpool Vision’s senior development manager, Andy Wallace, said: “We were delighted with the strong response we received for this commission.”
