Liverpool and London regeneration projects get green light

Liverpool Waters

Two huge regeneration projects, one in Liverpool and one in London, have been approved today. The Community Secretary Eric Pickles gave the uncontested go-ahead for the £5.5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme at the same time as London Mayor Boris Johnson green lit the £1.5 billion regeneration of the 23 acre Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle, South London. Both will provide a much need fillip to the UK’s moribund construction sector, creating thousands of new jobs as well as thousands of new homes, offices, shops, restaurants and other buildings in rundown areas of the two cities.

The Liverpool Waters scheme which is headed by Liverpool City Council and developer Peel Holdings will take some thirty years to complete, delivering around 9,000 new homes, three million square feet of commercial premises, offices, retail and leisure facilities, hotels and a cruise liner terminal.

Liverpool’s planning committee had initially granted planning permission for the scheme in March 2012 in the face of opposition from UNESCO and English Heritage, on the basis that the council and developer could address issues relating to building heights and project management.

Today also saw the Mayor of London give the go ahead for the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle which will entail the demolition of buildings on the current site to allow for the creation of around 2,500 new homes as well as office, retail and leisure facilities. The development will be headed by Southwark Council and developer Lend Lease.

Boris Johnson said: “It is vital that we push forward with work to unlock the massive economic potential of the Elephant and Castle area which has languished in a no-man’s land for too many years. This development is a fantastic example of how new life can be breathed into communities, delivering thousands of new homes and jobs for Londoners. “