Government decides not to call in Lime Street redevelopment plans

The government will not call in plans to redevelop part of Lime Street in Liverpool, despite the efforts of heritage groups to save the facade of a historic building located at the heart of the scheme.

Liverpool City Council’s planning committee gave property organisation Neptune Developments permission to move forward with the £35m revamp earlier this month, but some groups called for a government inquiry over a decision not to preserve the former Futurist cinema building’s facade.

According to the council, it would have been infeasible to do so due to the now-derelict building’s poor structural condition.

Authorities in the city have been informed that Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, decided not to call in the decision to go ahead with the scheme.

Joe Anderson, the Mayor of Liverpool, commented: “Lime Street is a key gateway route in the city centre but it is in desperate need of investment and upgrading. The current scheme went through a very rigorous evaluation before being determined.

“Of course, I understand the feeling about the Futurist, a building close to my heart as I know it is to many others.”

He added: “Considerable efforts were made to save it including commissioning two surveyors’ reports, both of which concluded that its condition was so poor that there was simply no way it could be salvaged.”

The multi-million pound development involves a radical redesign of buildings on the east side of the street, incorporating restaurants, student accommodation and a hotel, with further improvements in the pipeline for the western end of Lime Street.

Steve Parry, Neptune Developments’ managing director, said: “We are pleased that the government have respected a local decision made by people who know and understand the issues and the area.

“Lime Street urgently needs this project to happen and we have the investors and end-users primed and ready to go.”

Steve continued: “The loss of The Futurist is regrettable but committed, local campaigners understand that the building had simply got to a point where restoration was impossible.

“This project and this building would have been jeopardised had this application been called in and development stalled for up to two years. This is a great result for Lime Street and Liverpool.”