‘We’ve pushed a big button’, says Hugh Frost
Davos Property Developments Limited in conjunction with Beetham Davos Ltd have welcomed the approval of a 28-storey residential tower – named No.1 Kings – on the first plot of their £1bn Kings development.
“It feels like we’ve pushed a big green button marked ‘go’,” said Hugh Frost of Beetham Davos. “My thanks to the city council for their guidance and support and to my team for their hard work and focus. No. 1 Kings is fully-funded by the project shareholders and we will now move forward at pace,” he added.
No.1 Kings, designed by scheme master planners Brock Carmichael, comprises 255 one-, two- and three-bed apartments and is described as a ‘pathfinder’ that will set the tone for the scheme’s wider ambitions. Commenting on the approval, Chris Bolland, managing director at Brock Carmichael, said:
“This provides the springboard for the whole scheme and gives an added boost to our work on the wider masterplan. We aim to consult with the public on our proposals in Q2 before submitting a hybrid application. In the meantime, detailed work with the local authority and other stakeholders continues.”
The tower, the first for the c. 8-acre site, focuses on the plot which includes the former Bacchus Taverna at the junction of Waterloo Road and the now stopped-up Galton Street, at the scheme’s northwest boundary. An application to remove this and neighbouring buildings was submitted in September and negotiations are now underway with specialist contractors, with the aim of starting demolition in the spring.
The consent ‘sends an important signal to the market’, says Hugh Frost, as the firm gears up to update global investors and end-users at the MIPIM international property fair in Cannes in March.
“The consent demonstrates real progress as well as an indication of the local authority’s wider support for the scheme,” said Mr Frost. “We have several events planned at MIPIM where we will be revealing further news that will leave people in no doubt about the scale and quality of the opportunity. Liverpool is a global brand and people want to see a skyline to match its status.”
Beetham Davos Limited has signed up as a Gold Partner with the Liverpool delegation at this year’s MIPIM, being led by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
The Kings masterplan, if consented, would see a cluster of tall buildings, with a stated ambition of ‘pushing the boundary’ of the city’s policy on building height. At last year’s MIPIM an aspiration for a 60-storey tower was revealed and welcomed by council leader Liam Robinson.
The scheme’s first consented tower, of 28 storeys, will include a residents’ lounge, gym and workspace on the first floor, with the top floor boasting two indoor lounges and a large outdoor space for barbecues and social gatherings. The outdoor space will enjoy 360-degree views of the city skyline, river Mersey and the Welsh mountains beyond.
Pegasus Group is providing planning, economics, heritage and EIA Services to the client team behind Kings. Brock Carmichael are the masterplan architects, with Planit leading on landscape design.
