Central Village is a £160 million plan to create a mini village in the heart of Liverpool city centre. After years of delays, the sale of the final patch of land in the scheme is taking place. We speak to Neil Kirkham, associate director at CBRE, the company behind the sale of the land, about where the complicated development is up to and what we can expect when it is complete.

Designed by developer Merepark, Central Village is one of the largest city centre schemes Liverpool has seen since Liverpool ONE, and nine years after the scheme was originally granted planning permission and several false starts later, things are moving once again on the ambitious project.

Featuring homes in the form of apartments, a six-screen Odeon cinema, a Lidl supermarket and restaurants including Frankie and Benny’s, Handmade Burger Co and Prezzo, it is based on the patch of land behind the Lewis’ department store building and bordered by Central Station, Bold Street and Renshaw Street

Since the original plan was approved the scheme has been broken up, with different developers and agents working on different parts of the site. However, Neil Kirkham says it is ‘very much happening’, as he updates Your Move about the various aspects of the development.

Watson Building and student apartments

The Watson Building is an extension of the Lewis’ department store on Renshaw Street. It is the first new-build part of the scheme to be under construction and will create new office space. West Nile Developments is the company behind the office, and expects to complete the development in October 2015.

Next to the Watson Building, demolition work on the former Rapid store has been completed and developer Legacy will soon begin building a 13-storey, 192-bed student block at the site. With students arriving for the 2016/17 academic year, it will pave the way for shops, restaurants and bars to be created in the next phase of Central Village, named The Department.

The Department

The Department is the name given to the former Lewis’ Building, which once housed the iconic department store overlooking Lime Street. The original plans included part of the building being cut to provide a walkway leading to the area behind it, as well as shops and other leisure facilities inside the building itself.

“Historically it’s been under the control of Merepark as developers but that is no longer the case,” explains Neil Kirkham. “The office element of the Lewis’ development known as The Department is back under the control of the Co-op, being the bank who funded it, and being project managed by (commercial agent) GVA.”

Work is also underway inside The Department. Adagio apart-hotel has already opened in the building, as has gym company, Pure Gym. Other occupiers will move to the building in future, including a Post Office and a Lidl supermarket. The entrance to the Plaza will also be underway soon, says Neil.

“You’ve got the cut through there, which is an entrance opened up to the plaza behind, and that will be happening soon.”

The Boardwalk

The Boardwalk, which remains under Merepark’s control, is probably the most exciting element of the development, with a host of top restaurants set to move in. The Boardwalk is anchored by a six-screen Odeon cinema – the second in the city centre – and has outdoor seating, water features and a continental style square with cafes and restaurants. With every unit of the proposed development filled, work is expected to begin this year once the deal is signed off, according to Neil.

“Everything to the back is known as Site A and that is where the proposed Odeon cinema and all of the leisure use will go,” he says. “That’s the Boardwalk essentially.

“So you’ve got the cinema and they’ve obviously got a number of restaurant operators already signed up. We’re not involved now, but CBRE’s specialist market team down in London have historically been involved and all of the available units are accounted for.

“It’s obviously just some due diligence. You’re just waiting for the deal on the Boardwalk element to be signed off and you’ll see everything coming forward.”

Once complete, Frankie and Benny’s, Prezzo, Costa Coffee and Handmade Burger Co will move in, with work due to begin this year.

Your Move approached Merepark about the development, but the firm was unavailable for comment.

A hotel or homes?

The completion of the Boardwalk will leave one final site at the development. A former Network Rail depot, it was once the proposed site of a hotel but Marriot Hotels pulled out citing delays to the scheme. CBRE is in the process of selling the site and it could be a hotel, apartments or even more student accommodation.

“At the moment we are selling what’s known as Site B which historically had planning for a 240-bed hotel in a 10-storey building,” says Neil. “We’ve taken that to the market, it’s clearly got potential for alternative uses such as student or traditional residential. We have been through an informal tender process and we are just going to due diligence on that at the moment.”

Site B is the final piece of the jigsaw in the Central Village scheme and will be the last to be built. Once complete, Central Village will be finished. While delayed and slightly different to the original plans, it is going ahead and will be making an impact on the city soon.

“People think that it’s become to a bit of a grinding halt,” says Neil. “It is very much so the case that it is happening, the fact is it’s now just been developed out piecemeal instead of a job lot.”

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