Liverpool council’s £120m millennium scheme at Chavasse Park lies in ruins after Bill Davies’ Walton Group won control of the site at the Court of Appeal.
The council was ordered to pay £1m in costs. Council leader Mike Storey said: “Clearly people in Liverpool will be deeply disappointed by this decision. We will now need some time to consider the full implications of the ruling in this complex matter”.
“The fact remains that Liverpool is booming and we can now bring forward a whole series of partners to develop Chavasse Park so it provides an attractive and excitingly developed link between the city centre and Liverpool’s famous waterfront”, Storey added.
The decision now places two of Liverpool’s retail development sites under Walton’s control – the other one is the old Post Office at Whitechapel.
Walton had planned a £160m shopping scheme for the 2.35ha site at Chavasse Park and, according to local agents, has already discussed the possibility of a joint venture with national developers. One source said the decision gives Davies’ company a major lever over shopping centre plans for the Paradise Street Development Area, where the council is masterplanning an £800m shopping centre.
Alan Middleton of Bermans, Walton’s lawyers, said: “It’s very regrettable that because the council took this action, which proved to be completely unjustified, the ratepayers of the city will have to pay the costs of all this.”
Originally the council selected lead developer Rosemary Chavasse and Morrison Developments to build a 27,105 sq m (291,765 sq ft) retail and leisure scheme.
EGi News 03/09/99
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