Liverpool Council to develop gateway masterplan for £2bn Knowledge Quarter scheme

Authorities in Liverpool are preparing to draw up plans to create a gateway for the city’s eight-figure Knowledge Quarter project.

According to the council, the gateway masterplan will aim to build upon the recent development of the eastern terrace at Lime Street and provide a positive impact on Mount Pleasant, Copperas Hill and Brownlow Hill as they lead up to £2bn development.

The proposals will also include the redevelopment of Mount Pleasant Car Park, building on the £40m development on site at Lime Street and the £13m transformation of the old ABC Cinema into a media venue of international standing.

The Liverpool City Council Cabinet will meet later this week (Friday, March 3) to greenlight the development of a masterplan and seek the ‘in principle’ go-ahead for the use of Compulsory Purchase powers to acquire and develop land and properties in the gateway area.

The masterplan will look to reconnect areas currently fragmented by singular ownerships and provide greater connectivity and mobility around Lime Street.

It is estimated that the £2bn Knowledge Quarter project, which falls within the Central Liverpool Mayoral Development Zone and is due to house the Royal College of Physicians’ new Northern HQ, will create around 20k jobs.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “KQ Liverpool is going to redefine this city’s future – the potential is that great.

“The building blocks are now going in and this gateway is a critical step in ensuring the city centre is fully connected to the Knowledge Quarter.”

He added: “With the regeneration of Lime Street underway, we can now focus on developing this masterplan, setting out how this key scheme should look.”

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool CEO Colin Sinclair said: “These proposals are a vital next step in the regeneration of our thriving city centre, linking Lime Street Station to the city’s main concentration of science, health, education and the cultural assets, including our two cathedrals, on and around Hope Street.

“Alongside the 30-acre Paddington Village site, this will create a world leading innovation district, attracting global investment on a scale that the City Region hasn’t seen since Liverpool One and the Superport. The city’s plans show the pride, optimism and ambition that people now genuinely have for Liverpool.”

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