Construction is set to begin on a long-awaited Liverpool residential development after Bentry Capital secured Gateway 2 approval for the first phase of its £87 million Abbey Row scheme.
The approval clears the way for Bentry Capital’s in-house contractor, Mellior Construction, to begin principal construction works on the 241-home first phase next month.
The site has already been cleared and initial subcontract packages have been secured, enabling the project team to move directly into the main construction programme following the regulatory milestone.
Formerly known as Islington Quarter, the development was originally brought forward for planning in 2018 but subsequently stalled. Bentry Capital has since reassessed the proposals and progressed the project through the current building safety regulatory framework.
The wider Abbey Row development will ultimately deliver 365 apartments across three architecturally distinctive buildings, transforming a prominent site at the gateway to Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter.
Phase one will provide 241 new homes, with Block C scheduled to reach completion in 2028 and Block A following in 2029.
Securing Gateway 2 represents a particularly important milestone for the project. Under the strengthened building safety regime, higher-risk residential developments must receive approval from the Building Safety Regulator before relevant building work can commence, placing greater emphasis on demonstrating compliance before construction begins.
Steven Hughes, Operations Lead at Mellior Construction, said: “Securing Gateway 2 approval represents the culmination of a detailed and collaborative design process and allows us to move into the principal construction phase with the building-safety requirements embedded throughout our delivery strategy.”
The development is also entering construction with significant sales momentum, with more than 70% of homes within the first phase already pre-sold.
David Ronson, National Sales and Marketing Director at Bentry Capital, said the developer had acquired the site with a clear belief in both its potential and Liverpool’s long-term strength.
He added that the team had focused on reassessing the scheme, navigating the current regulatory environment and creating a development that is both deliverable and relevant to the city today.
With Mellior Construction now preparing to mobilise for the principal works, Abbey Row will bring a previously stalled development back into active construction while delivering a substantial addition to Liverpool’s residential pipeline.
The £87 million investment will also contribute to the continued regeneration around the Knowledge Quarter, an important part of Liverpool’s wider growth strategy encompassing residential development, education, science, innovation and employment.
After several years in the planning and development process, Gateway 2 approval marks a decisive step forward for Abbey Row, with work now set to turn the long-standing proposals into 365 new city homes.
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