McLaren submits plans for Liverpool PBSA

McLaren Properties has submitted plans for a 242-bed purpose-built student accommodation scheme on the site of a former roller-rink in Liverpool. The scheme, on Myrtle Street, neighbours the University of Liverpool campus. A third of the beds will be studios with the rest arranged as four to six-bedroom clusters around common rooms. The design, by Cartwright Pickard Architects, was refined following lengthy discussions with the council, with art deco references added to make it more sympathetic to its location between the city centre, the university and the Canning Street Conservation Area. Tom Gilman, regional managing director at McLaren Properties, said: “This is going to be a really inviting and vibrant student hub on the edge of Liverpool’s knowledge district. It doesn’t just offer proximity to the university campus, but is set alongside the Georgian and Greek revival architecture of the conservation area.” McLaren Property is the third owner to seek to regenerate the site, which was formerly occupied by the 1930s Ritz Roller Rink, which became a youth centre in the 1960s and was finally scheduled for demolition in 2016 after a bid to have it listed was rejected by then culture secretary John Whittingdale. Gilman added: “The previous building had long since fallen into disrepair and ceased to do justice to the location. Our sensitive design regenerates the site, respects neighbouring heritage and provides an ideal base for students.” To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Image © Cartwright Pickard Architects