May 27 2004
The people of Liverpool are being invited to view and comment on proposals for one of Europe’s premier development opportunities.
The Kings Waterfront exhibition at the Moat House Hotel is the final phase of a programme of public consultation on the future development of the prestigious waterfront site.
The exhibition features computer generated images, a simulated "fly-through" and a scale model to illustrate how the site will be transformed to a visitor destination of international quality.
The centrepiece of the development is a spectacular arena, conference and exhibition complex designed by award-winning UK architects Wilkinson Eyre. The masterplan, which provides the overall structure for the development, has been prepared by international urban design specialists EDAW. It envisages a mixed-use waterfront quarter containing high-quality residential apartments, prestige hotels and offices, leisure and retail facilities, and world-class public spaces.
Liverpool Vision Chief Executive Jim Gill commented, "The exhibition presents for the first time a clear picture of our ambitions for Kings Waterfront, including a magnificent complex of arena, conference and exhibition facilities which Liverpool and Merseyside lack at present, and which will help to establish the city and the waterfront as an international visitor destination."
English Partnerships’ Area Director (Merseyside and Cheshire) Eliot Lewis-Ward said that the national regeneration agency was determined to give local people the opportunity to have their say on the proposed scheme. He added, "Our role is to support the renaissance of areas such as the Liverpool Waterfront and to ensure that we invest in developments and communities to which people want to belong. They must have the highest standards of design and environmental sustainability, and with the help of local people that is what we are aiming to create at Kings Waterfront."
The Kings Waterfront partners – Liverpool Vision, site owners English Partnerships, Liverpool City Council and the Northwest Development Agency – are emphasising how the results of earlier consultations have directly influenced the new masterplan.
A strong public desire to take maximum advantage of the magnificent waterfront setting and a decision to re-locate the major public facilities closer to the river edge reflects the outcome of consultations held earlier this year.
The partners are encouraging as many people as possible to visit the exhibition and comment on the latest plans before a planning application is submitted in June.
Aidan Manley, NWDA Area Manager for Merseyside, said, "Public consultation is a vital part in the development of proposals for the site. This revised masterplan includes revisions made as a result of earlier consultation. Kings Waterfront will have a significant impact on the local and regional economy and it is crucial that local people have the opportunity to comment on the latest plans before a planning application is submitted."
Source: English Partnerships