Liverpool City Council is set to seek a development partner to help transform a prime waterfront spot into Liverpool’s newest residential community.

A report to Cabinet on Tuesday, 10 September, is recommending the Council embarks on a competitive procurement exercise to appoint a high calibre development partner to lead on creating a new neighbourhood as part of the city’s famous International Festival Gardens site, which was originally opened in May 1984.

The ambition is to significantly boost the city’s housing supply with a diverse range and mix of housing types, including affordable properties, together with local amenities, creating a thriving new community in this prime south Liverpool location, which is well connected and within 10-minutes of the city centre.

The scheme, which is a flagship project outlined in the city’s draft housing strategy, will connect with and enhance its natural surroundings and biodiversity and provide a high standard of desirable and multi-generational living for all.

Significant remediation and enabling works were recently completed in January 2024 to enable development, and since that time a team of experts have been curating an ambitious, and deliverable development brief which will provide an essential framework to market the site.

Clear objectives are outlined which state the council’s intentions to make the 28-acre site a sustainable, healthy and inclusive neighbourhood which has a strong identity and high design quality.

If the report is given the green light, the initial phase of the procurement process will begin in October, with a view to securing a partner towards the middle of next year.

The development brief will form the central part of a procurement process, seeking viable expressions of interest from developers with a proven, successful track record in delivering transformative schemes at pace, which are built on strong community engagement. Montagu Evans will be running the procurement process on behalf of the Council.

It is expected that the contract with the successful development partner will be finalised in Autumn 2025 once thorough due diligence has been undertaken.

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