Central Village

[scottieroader]

Originally Posted by Waterways

The city or country they come from is irrelevant. If you want to name buildings after artistic people then they should be from anywhere. Liverpool was and still is the port for America.

Daniel Craig, the new James Bond, is local enough as he was brought up on the Wirral and lived in Liverpool at one time. All the James Bond actors could have a tower named after them.

How about we call them McGough and Henri (I know, McGough isn't dead) or Jay and Silent Bob... those would be awesome names for towers.

[kenotoole123@msn.com]

How about....'Scholes' & 'Neville'....two people that really love the City!!

[Kev]

http://liverpoolcentralvillage.com/

Still waiting for this scheme to begin......

[Paul D]

Proposal submitted for city hotel


The four-star hotel would cost £50m to develop

Plans have been submitted for a luxury four-star hotel in Liverpool next to the former Lewis's department store.

Developers Merepark are hoping to transform the Watson building and a neighbouring store on Renshaw Street in the city into a 180-bed hotel.

They say that an international operator has been secured for the project, which would cost about £50m.

In February plans were unveiled to turn the nine-storey Lewis's building into a £105m "leisure destination".

If planning permission is granted later this year, a hotel, cinema, bars, restaurants and shops will be built within the Grade II premises.

The plans, which could create up to 1,000 extra jobs, also include a new open pedestrian street which leads out onto a new plaza and connects into the Central Village development in the city.

[Paul D]

Originally Posted by Kev

http://liverpoolcentralvillage.com/

Still waiting for this scheme to begin......

It's good too see Merepark are still buying up property around this development,this will be amazing when it's finished,Liverpool's going to be transformed beyond recognition.

[Paul D]

Frustrated Rapid puts premises up for sale
May 14 2008 by Barry Turnbull, Liverpool Daily Post

THE frustrated boss of city centre store Rapid Hardware last night hit out at developers who have failed to table an offer for the DIY firm’s premises.

Managing director Martin Doherty has become fed up of interested parties simply "sniffing around" and has decided to put the city store on the market.

The company has to sell the red-brick row of knocked-through shops before it can move into John Lewis's store, in Church Street. John Lewis, in turn, is moving into a new building in the soon-to-open Liverpool One shopping scheme.

In the meantime, Rapid’s nearby former paint store, which was sold to Merepark last year, is to form part of a four-star hotel development in neighbouring £160m Central Village scheme.

Mr Doherty said: "We have had discussions with a number of people about various schemes such as a student village.

“Merepark have been sniffing around but haven't come up with a concrete offer so we need to look at our options and will be going to the market shortly."

Merepark bought the paintstore and were thought to be interested in the rest of the site, which is expected to be valued at tens of millions of pounds.

Ian Jones, director of Merepark, said: “I can confirm we are in discussions with Rapid Hardware over its Renshaw Street site. We can not comment further at this stage.�

A city retail property agent said: "It is a big site, so anyone wanting to redevelop would have to weigh up the costs very care- fully. It would be no use knocking down and replacing with similar buildings, for value you would need to build tall."

Rapid's properties extend along Renshaw Street and into Bold Street. The company declined to detail the value of the site.

Yesterday, Merepark and joint venture partner Ballymore submitted plans for extend a Grade II listed building into a four-star hotel. The Watson building, formerly part of Lewis’s on Renshaw Street, and the neighbouring former Rapid Hardware paint shop, were acquired by joint venture vehicle Central Regeneration.

The 70,000 sq ft Watson building will be extended onto the site of the former paint shop to form a 170,000 sq ft, 180 bedroom, four star-plus hotel designed by international architects Woods Bagot.Å* An intern- ational hotel operator has already been secured.

The scheme’s approval would secure a further £50m investment for the city centre.

Mr Jones added: “Working closely with our architects, Woods Bagot, we have developed a scheme which responds well to the local surroundings and provides another dynamic link to Central Village.

“Sustainability is at the centre of our vision and we’re confident that this proposal, combined with our plans for the Lewis’s building and Central Village, will result in an exciting mixed-use quarter that brings new purpose and opportunity to the city.�

[Kev]

Cheers Paul

[skgogosfan]

Can't wait to see this approved and started. Come October there'll be a lot of workmen looking for new jobs after finishing the PSDA,so this would be very handy. I wanna see Lewis's fifth floor too.

Dave.

[Kev]

Plans to turn a Grade II listed building in Liverpool city centre into a four star-plus hotel have been given the go-ahead.

Extra floors will be added to the Watson building, which is on the site of the former Rapid Hardware paint shop, to create 180 bedrooms.

The building is a "key element" in a city centre redevelopment project, a spokesman for developers Merepark said.

Two months ago plans were agreed to redevelop the nearby Lewis's building.

Ian Jones, director of Merepark, said: "The Watson building is a key element within the Central Village project, which will form one of the largest regeneration schemes in Liverpool."

The scheme forms part of a £160m redevelopment in the city.

Liverpool City Council agreed that developers Merepark and Ballymore could transform the iconic Lewis's building into a mixed use scheme including leisure and retail facilities.

BBC Liverpool