Construction work on the £200 million transformation of Liverpool’s Chinatown has begun.

The mixed-use development, which will include 850 new homes alongside 150,000 sq ft of commercial and retail space and a new hotel, could be the “catalyst for the expansion of Liverpool” according the architect behind the scheme.

Developer North Point Global was given the go-ahead for the project last December and plan to have the first phase of the development completed by the end of next year, with the entire scheme scheduled for completion in 2019.

David Choules, North Point Global chair, confirmed that contractors are currently “on site working on site excavation and service provision”.

David adds: “We’re looking forward to progressing above-ground development and it will be great to see the first phase of the project taking shape over the next few months.”

“Very strong” interest from China has also been reported for the scheme’s commercial space with a number of units already snapped up by firms looking to establish a foothold in the UK.

Charis Chan from Hong Kong Homes says: “This project has really caught the imagination of investors. The commercial units are an extremely popular opportunity for Chinese businesses seeking a foothold in the UK. This will be a development with a unique offer and character.”

Antonio Garcia, managing director of BLOC Architecture, lead architect on the scheme, adds: “Now we are on site it will hopefully give an impetus to neighbouring projects in the Baltic as well as the Brewery Village and St James Heritage Quarter developments.

“The city centre is moving south and that is why the potential re-opening of the St James Station would have such a positive impact.

“There is so much exciting potential and we are delighted to be kick-starting it with work now commencing on the new Chinatown.”

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