LOCAL NEWS: Goverment reject Mersey skyscraper plansNov 17 2006
PLANS for a dazzling sail-shaped skyscraper on the Mersey waterfront have been knocked back by the government.
The 51-floor building would be the tallest in Liverpool - but cabinet minister Ruth Kelly has rejected it after looking at evidence from a public inquiry.
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She said it would damage the nearby World Heritage Site by attracting attention away from it, and affect picturesque views of Liverpool’s cathedrals from Wirral.
And she also claimed Brunswick Quay is the wrong place for such a tall building, claiming the area would be regenerated at some point, even if this scheme did not happen.
Liverpool council turned down developer Maro’s proposals twice last year - an original version with 489 apartments and a 35-bedroom hotel, and a second plan with less flats and a bigger hotel.
Maro appealed both decisions, leading to a public inquiry.
Ms Kelly announced her verdict today, rejecting a government inspector’s recommendation that the second plan was acceptable.
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