PLANS for up to 1,000 new flats and town houses in Europe's oldest Chinatown have been unveiled in what is being billed as the single most important development project since Liverpool One.
If it happens, the striking New Chinatown scheme would see towering apartments sitting amid town houses directly opposite the Anglican Cathedral. There would also be 200,000 square feet of commercial and retail space on the Great George Street site which sits behind the Black-E.
Developers say one of the key aims is to re-establish a resident Chinese population in the area. It promises a Chinese themed retail area as well as substantial number of live-work spaces providing accommodation for new Chinese businesses to set up in the city.
A public consultation into the scheme takes place this weekend before plans are officially submitted later this year.
Behind the plans is North Point Global (China Town Developments Limited) the development arm of local construction firm PHD, which has bought an interest in the derelict site from Urban Splash, and BLOK Architecture backed, it says, by Chinese investors.
The land is seen as a key gateway into Liverpool and the development, on the south east side of the Baltic Triangle, would provide another link between it and the established city centre.
The listed building on the corner of James Street, which houses a shop selling wedding gear, survives (see pic below)
Antonio Garcia, from BLOK Architecture, said: “We are delighted to have been selected to take this exciting site forward. From the very outset we viewed this development as an historic opportunity to be the catalyst for the regeneration of Chinatown.
“We are offering a dynamic mixed-use scheme that will bring people and business to the area and make it an international quality destination.
“One of the most important elements of our vision, which we have developed with our Chinese investors, is the creation of up to 200 new Chinese businesses with the potential to create over 1,000 jobs.
“We view this as one of the most important and potentially transformational development opportunities in Liverpool.”
Old with the new: The listed building currently occupied by The Wedding House is overshadowed by towering blocks of flatsMeanwhile, Deputy Mayor Ann O’Byrne said: “This is a key site in Chinatown right on a main route into the city centre and has fantastic potential, particularly as it lies so close to the city centre and the Baltic Triangle.
“PHD1 have come up with a really exciting project which will completely transform this patch of land and will be the catalyst to breathe new life into the wider area.
“They have devised some extremely innovative ideas around developing links with China and the universities to create a substantial numbers of new jobs and bring a completely new commercial and retail offer to the area.
“We are already working with Liverpool Mutual Homes on developing new homes on Duncan Street which will further contribute to the renaissance of this part of the city."
Consultation is getting under way with the local community, with a two day public exhibition at Studio 2 Parr Street on Sunday the 12th and Monday 13th of July from 11am to 8pm.
In addition, the development team will be holding a series of face to face meetings with local community groups and businesses and distributing 10,000 copies of a bi-lingual consultation newsletter to homes and businesses in the area.
Under the proposal, the site will be developed in three phases, with a planning application for the first phase expected to be submitted during the summer.
