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Lime Street regeneration
approved by Court of Appeal
THE £39 million regeneration of Lime
Street, in Liverpool, is set to go ahead after the Court of Appeal
comprehensively rejected a bid by the group SAVE Britain's Heritage, to overturn
planning permission.
The scheme involves the redevelopment of the Eastern side of Lime Street for
mixed use including commercial, retail and leisure uses with hotel and student
accommodation. The scheme, to be delivered by Neptune Developments, is fully
funded and secured planning approval in September 2015.
In a judgement handed down, on 2 August 2016, Lord Justice Sales and Lord
Justice Lindblom dismissed an appeal for a Judicial Review made by SAVE
Britain's Heritage. They had claimed that the City council had breached planning
guidance by failing to notify the DCMS (Department for Culture Media and Sport)
and UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
In their conclusions, the Lord Justices agreed with the original ruling in
January 2016 by The Honourable Mrs Justice Patterson DBE that the City council
had acted entirely appropriately.
The Honourable Mrs Justice Patterson DBE had described the evidence provided by
the City council at the hearing in December as:- "impressive and clear",
concluding that the local authority had properly considered whether the scheme
would have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage
Site.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:- "Our commitment to
heritage has seen the number of buildings on the at risk register at a 24 year
low and some, including the Royal Insurance Building and Stanley Dock, brought
back into viable use due to our intervention. This is a City that has
demonstrated clearly that it is committed to preserving old buildings where it
is viable to do so. Unfortunately that has not been the case as far as Lime
Street is concerned. It is now almost a year since we granted this scheme
planning permission, and due to the legal action this scheme has been in limbo,
meaning Lime Street, one of the city's key gateway routes, has not had the
investment that it so desperately needed. We have now had 2 thorough and
comprehensive independent examinations of this decision and in both cases we
have been found to have acted entirely appropriately and properly. We must now
crack on as soon as possible with enabling the developers to deliver on their
vision for the area, bringing it up to a much higher standard than it has been
for decades, and one that is fitting for a major entry point into the City
centre."
It has not proved possible to save the facade of the former Futurist cinema
within the new scheme because of its poor structural condition following
deterioration over a number of years, and this decision has been accepted by the
Save the Futurist campaign group. Mayor Anderson added:- "We have recently
spent hundreds of thousands of pounds having to make the façade of The Futurist
safe, causing massive disruption in the area. All of this could have been
avoided had SAVE accepted the original judgement from the High Court in January.
I am appealing to SAVE Britain's Heritage to stop delaying much needed projects
that will create many jobs for the people of our city. They need to stop wasting
the public's time and money on vexatious and spurious legal challenges that only
serve to put schemes at risk without coming up with viable, fully costed and
deliverable alternatives."
Steve Parry, Managing Director of Neptune Developments, who has now written
directly to SAVE calling on the group to face reality, added:- "This
series of legal challenges have cost more than £2 million and have been a
monumental waste of money and time for all those involved. More importantly it
has been a wasted opportunity to get on with a much needed piece of regeneration
creating jobs and opportunities for the people of Liverpool and removing the
dereliction that blights this gateway to Liverpool. In essence SAVE have been
campaigning to retain buildings that are beyond economic repair without ever
seriously considering whether this could be achieved and have tried to link Lime
Street to the concerns about our World Heritage status even though this scheme
actually has a beneficial impact on the World Heritage Site. The new high
quality facades of Lime Street will have a depiction of the Futurist and Lime
Street in its heyday and we are pressing on with the planning of the ABC to lift
both sides of the street and create a fitting entrance to our city. It really is
time now to move on and get on with remaking 1 of our most important streets."
Matt Brook, director of Broadway Malyan, architects for the scheme, said:-
"It is fantastic news that we can now progress this important regeneration
project that will reinstate Lime Street as a key destination. Liverpool has
enjoyed a significant renaissance in recent years with substantial investment
especially along the waterfront. Our proposals for Lime Street are a key part of
Liverpool's ongoing regeneration, it will provide the much needed improvement to
one of the City's main gateways as was well as improving an important connection
to the Knowledge Quarter, providing a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the
Lime Street area."
More information about the Lime Street scheme can be found on the scheme's
website
and to read the full judgement please click
here. |
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Charity provides annual
funding of more than £2 million to support local cancer research
LIVERPOOL based North West Cancer Research has announced
that it will provide an additional £902,816 worth of funding as part of its
latest drive to boost lifesaving cancer research in the city.
This will take its total annual funding totals to more than £2 million,
following an earlier £1,106,776 commitment announced back in February 2016.
The funding will support 4 research projects, 3 of which will be based at the
University of Liverpool. These include 2, 3 year studies, that aim to improve
our understanding and treatments of the deadly blood cancers Acute Myeloid
Leukaemia and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL).
Funding has also been granted, to allow a group of researchers to continue their
research, which aims to optimise the effectiveness of a drug given to patients
with secondary skin cancer. This follows a series of breakthroughs during an
initial research project, funded by North West Cancer Research. It is hoped the
outcomes of the latest work will help prolong the effects of treatments and
provide a better quality of life for patients with skin cancer.
Around £211,000 has been granted to support 2 PhD studentships based at the
North West Cancer Research Centre at the University of Liverpool, providing
additional support across a range of projects. Studentships will take place from
September 2017 and funds will cover stipends, student fees and consumables.
Dominique Hare, research officer at North West Cancer Research, said:- "We
recently announced a commitment to fund more than £12.3 million over the next 5
years, but this latest funding news actually takes our commitment beyond the £13
million mark. As a charity we pride ourselves on only backing the very best
quality of research; research which will ultimately deliver significant
breakthroughs and have a direct impact on people living in Liverpool and the
North West. Thanks to research, half of all people diagnosed with cancer will
survive. Our promise over the next 5 years is to ensure a constant flow of
research to ensure that in the future everyone diagnosed with cancer will have a
chance to survive."
A final research project based at Bangor University will also benefit from this
latest round of funding. The work will look at the process of DNA damage and
repair of cancer cells during cancer treatments.
North West Cancer Research funds potentially lifesaving research at universities
in Liverpool, Bangor and Lancaster that help to improve our understanding of
cancer and how to better detect, treat and prevent it. The cancer research which
it supports directly benefits people living in the North West and North Wales.
The charity encourages applications for funding on a bi-annual basis. To ensure
only the highest quality of research is funded, each application is extensively
considered and peer reviewed by a specially selected scientific committee
comprising of leading professors, award winning scientists and pioneering
professionals.
More information on North West Cancer Research and its research strategy can be
found
online.
Non-suspicious death in a
Southport Hotel room
MERSEYSIDE Police have confirmed that
enquiries are being carried out to establish how a man whose body was found at
the Scarisbrick Hotel, in Southport. Police Officers were called to the
Scarisbrick Hotel, at 2.10pm, on 2 August 2016, by staff who had become
concerned about a guest who they had not seen for several days. When entry was
gained to the hotel room, the body of a man aged in his 20's was found in the
bathroom. Detectives are not treating his death as suspicious, however further
enquiries are being made before a file of evidence is passed to the coroner. A
post mortem examination will be carried out in the coming days to establish a
cause of death. Officers are currently trying to contact the man's next of kin
to inform them of his death.
Leading business awards to be hosted by
legendary Liverpool comic Ted Robbins
THE Federation of Small Businesses
(FSB) is urging local entrepreneurs to enter this year's FSB Merseyside, West
Cheshire and Wigan Business Awards, which are to take place on Thursday, 1
December 2016 at the Crowne Plaza, Liverpool.
The awards, which will be hosted by Liverpool comedian and star of TV's Phoenix
Nights and Benidorm, Ted Robbins, are now open for submissions. Business owners
can submit entries via:-
FSBMerseysideAwards.Co.UK until the
deadline of Friday, 30 September 2016.
In all, 24 categories will celebrate and reward exceptional small businesses
from across the region, including:- business of the year, and awards for
customer service, environmental best practice, export success and sector
specific categories.
There will also be a special 'FSB Connect' award for a young
entrepreneur chosen from a shortlist of local university finalists. Both FSB
members and non-members are welcome to enter.
Presented by the Federation of Small Business, together with Don't Panic Events,
the awards ceremony is expected attract around 300 entrepreneurs and business
owners and is set to be one of the region's premier business events.
Chris Burgess, Chairman of FSB Merseyside, West Cheshire and Wigan, said:-
"The FSB Merseyside, West Cheshire and Wigan Business Awards are about
recognising excellence and small business success across the region. As a
leading lobbyist we fight on behalf of local entrepreneurs every day, but it is
also a pleasure to reward them for their achievements in a range of categories.
I am looking forward to recognising some exceptional businesses and the brains
behind them. The awards ceremony will also present fantastic networking
opportunities for everyone involved. Every small business in the region can
apply and we look forward to receiving their applications."
Any questions about the entry process or awards should be directed to Becky
Mellor via
email. |
