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A two-day exhibition close to the proposed site will allow people to view a model of the proposed complex, which includes office space, luxury apartments, shops and a series of new public squares, along with waterfront cafés and restaurants.
There is also a walk-through model which provides a virtual tour of the complex.
The exhibition is part of a "pre-planning consultation" for the scheme, ahead of a formal planning application to be made to Liverpool City Council, probably next month.
At a launch last night, civic leaders and others had a glimpse of the exhibition before it opens to the public, and gave the scheme a mostly favourable response.
It will sit alongside the proposed new Museum of Liverpool - which awaits funding - on a site once destined for the abandoned Fourth Grace project.
Cllr Peter Millea, Liverpool's executive member for regeneration and transport, said: "It's got a real 'wow' factor.. It provides a nice contrast and adds to the architecture around it.
"The developers are doing the public a service by making the space available for leisure uses. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I think people will grow to love it."
Jim Gill, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, said: "Change is always difficult but I think this development will create a wonderful place for Liverpool."
But Wayne Colquhoun, chairman of Liverpool Preservation Trust, said the buildings were like "three trashy tarts next to the elegant Three Graces." He added: "I think it's atrocious and it's going to ruin the second-best view of Liverpool from The Strand.
"We are fighting for the preservation of Liverpool's skyline. That's how serious it is."
The scheme, by locally-based Neptune Developments and national firm Countryside Properties, is designed to complement the proposed waterfront Museum of Liverpool, and to preserve the famous views of the city's Three Graces.
Manchester-based architects Broadway Malyan designed the three buildings, which encompasses three new public spaces including a covered area.
The architect Matt Brook - who studied and is also a tutor at Liverpool John Moores University - was at pains to point out that the new complex was not designed as a "Fourth Grace" but as a standalone development in its own right.
He said it was "understandable" that the public reaction to the complex so far had been largely hostile. "It takes a while for a new idea or contemporary design to grow on the public," said Mr Brook.
"I'm as passionate as anybody else to do the right thing on this site. I feel that I know the city very well, which is the most important thing.
"The key challenge is that it's not a background building. It's strong enough to command the environment and offer something new to the dock area.
"We wanted to improve the connection from the city centre to the waterfront, and to create a sequence of public spaces that would draw people down from the city to the historic waterfront.
"I don't think there's been another scheme that has had such support from bodies such as the Commission for the Built Environment and English Heritage."
If planning approval is given, work on the site could start early next year.
Source:
icLiverpool
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