Central Village, Liverpool

Coordinates: 53°24′18″N 2°58′44″W / 53.405°N 2.979°W / 53.405; -2.979
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Central Village
Project
Statusabandoned
DeveloperMerepark and Ballymore
ArchitectWoods Bagot
OwnerLiverpool City Council
Location
Central Village, Liverpool is located in Northern England
Central Village, Liverpool
Location
Coordinates: 53°24′18″N 2°58′44″W / 53.405°N 2.979°W / 53.405; -2.979
CountryEngland
CityLiverpool

Central Village was a proposed shopping, leisure, commercial and residential development in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. The complex was to cover the site of Liverpool Central railway station, and the former Lewis's department store. [1] Planning permission was granted for the project by Liverpool City Council in May 2009,[2] and final approval was given for construction of the entire complex to commence in February 2010.[3] The project was never completed and the Lewis's building is now being used as offices, a hotel and a gym.[4]

Project timeline[edit]

  • June 2006 - Planning permission is obtained for the development.[5]
  • October 2006 - The largely run-down site on which Central Village will be built is acquired by Merepark.[5]
  • October 2006 - In the same month as site acquisition, funding for the project is received.[5]
  • Early 2007 - Projected start date for construction, however some decisions were pending and more focus was given to the L1 development; it was delayed for a number of years.[6]
  • May 2008 - Permission is granted to build the Copthorne Hotel Liverpool within Central Village.[7]
  • October 2008 - Permission is granted to create the Millennium Hotel Liverpool in the former Watson building.[7]
  • November 2009 - To accompany the redevelopment of Central Station, money is pledged to improve and expand overall facilities within.[8]
  • February 2010 - Lewis's department store announces it will not renew the lease on the advice of Merepark.[9]
  • May 2010 - First contract awarded to McGee to design and build a £7 million 459-space car park which will become the first phase of construction in the summer of 2010.[10]
  • May 2010 - Lewis's closes its doors after 154 years of trading, after its parent Vergo Retail went into administration.[9]
  • March 2013 - Apart-hotel Adagio opens.[11]
  • 2023 - the Liverpool City Council sought tenders to redevelop Liverpool Central railway station, the site once earmarked for Central Village.[12]

Liquidation[edit]

  • June 2013 - Merepark Construction enters voluntary liquidation in June 2013 bringing development work to a halt.
  • 2014 - Budget supermarket Lidl announce they plan to open a store in the Lewis's Building.
  • January 2017 - Augur Liverpool take over the lease of part of the site.[11]
  • May 2017 - Lidl announce they have shelved their plans for a supermarket on the site.[13]
  • September 2017 - Augur announce plans to develop the Lewis's building into a shopping and leisure destination, to be called 'Circus'.[14]
  • May 2018 - Liverpool City Council announce plans to buy the shopping centre above Liverpool Central Railway Station and simultaneously lease it back to Augur.[15]
  • September 2018 - Augur complete the work to convert the remainder of the Lewis's building into offices in a development known as 'The Department'.[4]

Completed work[edit]

The 39,000 m2 (420,000 sq ft) nine-storey Lewis's building, which was Liverpool's most famous store for 154 years, closed its doors for the last time on 29 May 2010 to be redeveloped as part of the Central Village project.[9] In 2013, an apart hotel, Adagio opened in the former Lewis's building in the side facing Ranelagh Street.[11] In 2015, rest of the building was opened as office and retail space, called The Department.[16]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Central Village Interactive Brochure". Central Village. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  2. ^ Katie Daubney (12 May 2009). "Go-ahead for Liverpool Central Village". PlanningResource. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Final piece of Liverpool's Central Village scheme gets go ahead". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  4. ^ a b Houghton, Alistair (23 September 2018). "What exactly is happening with Lewis's?". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Central Village . Liverpool". Merepark. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Green light for £160m Central Village dream". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Hotel Update" (PDF). Liverpool City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  8. ^ "Liverpool's Central station to get funding boost after being named one of UK's worst". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  9. ^ a b c "Lewis's workers devastation as Liverpool department store announces closure". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  10. ^ "McGee wins first contract on £200m Liverpool scheme". Building.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  11. ^ a b c Houghton, Alistair (26 February 2017). "ECHO investigation: What is happening at Central Village?". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  12. ^ Whelan, Dan (19 March 2024). "'Once-in-a-generation' Liverpool Central Station regen gathers pace". Place North West. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  13. ^ Houghton, Alistair (10 May 2017). "Supermarket abandons plans for store in Lewis's building". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  14. ^ Houghton, Alistair (20 September 2017). "Revealed: Developer's Circus plans for Lewis's and expanded Liverpool Central". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  15. ^ Houghton, Alistair (23 May 2018). "Council set to BUY Liverpool Central Station shopping centre". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  16. ^ Middleton-Pugh, Jessica (22 September 2015). "NHS agrees Liverpool pre-let". Place North West. Retrieved 23 May 2024.

External links[edit]