CPOs to back huge city facelift

Jun 7 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

A £150m transformation of north Liverpool will be pushed through with compulsory purchase powers following council approval yesterday.

The “Project Jennifer” scheme will transform 39 acres of land around Great Homer Street and Scotland Road.

It has been described as the biggest ever face-lift for that part of the city and will create 740 new full time jobs.

Preferred developers St Modwen welcomed the proposed compulsory purchase order, describing it as a “key milestone” for the project.

The development will create 481 new homes, a 10,000 sq m superstore, a new library and a purpose-built site for Paddy’s Market.

Liverpool City Council said the existing shopping centre is dilapidated and trading poorly.

The idea of developing the area was first mooted five years ago, when the council invited developers to submit proposals for the area.

The scheme was approved by councillors in August, 2005, and a planning application was lodged in November the same year.

Negotiators from St Modwen have been approaching businesses in the area to smooth out relocation and compensation agree-ments.

Last year the developers spent £10m acquiring four industrial estates for businesses whose current property is earmarked for development.

Chris Fox, project director at St Modwen, said: “By starting in advance of the official CPO, we intended to make the process smoother by gaining an early understanding of people’s requirements.

“This will help businesses make seamless transitions to new premises and allow us to move ahead with our plans for a new and improved Great Homer Street.”

There are around 60 commercial properties that are in the area under the CPO.

Liverpool City Council’s executive member for assets and development, Cllr Peter Millea, said ordering the CPO would not mean the council would “go in with boots on”.

He told the Daily Post: “I’m hoping this will help speed up the scheme.

“People in the area have been waiting for some time for things to happen. But it doesn’t mean we will go in there with big boots on and say ‘we’re having that’.

“It’s a huge area and it’s been a scar on the landscape in that there’s been so much dereliction and blight on the community. This is the best way to bring better facilities.”

Work is due to begin in summer 2009 and will take three years to complete.

benschofield