Irish developer Chieftain’s plans for a 32-storey tower close to Liverpool’s Lime Street station look likely to be turned down after CABE, English Heritage (EH) and local planning officers questioned their viability.
The developer plans a 160-bedroom hotel, 153 flats and associated retail and leisure uses in two towers of 12 and 32 storeys on Skelhorne Street.
The area around Lime Street has already been earmarked by Liverpool council as suitable for tower development.
But CABE said it was unconvinced the case had been made for a tower on the site.
In a submission to Liverpool council’s planning committee, the organisation said: “The form of the tower is inelegant and over-complicated.
“There is a lack of clear logic for the composition of the many different elements.”
EH believes the scheme will clash with Iliad’s plans for a tower on a neighbouring site at Concourse House.
The heritage body said: “The submission as seen by English Heritage did not include any contextual analysis that illustrates the likely impact of a tall building on this site, either in a city-wide context or on the local environment.
“This is a minimum requirement for such a scheme, and absence of this analysis is disappointing.”
In addition, Liverpool council’s own officers have recommended that the scheme be refused on the basis that it would be too dominant, would block views and would “potentially compromise emerging proposals for the nearby site of Concourse House”.
The planning committee is set to consider the application next Tuesday, 2 August.
Later next month it is expected to rule on whether Maro Developments will be allowed to construct a 50-storey tower at Brunswick Dock.
The Maro scheme was originally turned down earlier this year but has been slightly revised.
Additionally, local entrepreneur Paul Bolton is proposing a tower at the junction of Parliament Street and Sefton Street through his Vermont development venture.
He has yet to submit an application.
References: EGi News 26/07/05
