Stretching over 2 km along the River Mersey, Liverpool Waters is a 30-year plan to regenerate 60 hectares of former dockland. Central Docks, the largest brownfield site at 10.5 hectares, will be the biggest of five planned neighborhoods. It features 3 hectares of public spaces, including a 2-hectare Central Park with a 270 per cent biodiversity net gain. Plans include 2,350 diverse new homes, with site work commencing in 2025, funded by Homes England.

 

Who is on the project? 

 

Masterplanners and landscape architecture - Planit 

CGIs - Virtual Planit 

Planning, sustainability and microclimate - Arup 

Project management - Hive Projects 

Project management and cost consultants - Walker Sime 

Civils and Structural engineering - Curtins 

M&E Consultants - Hannan Associates

Transport Consultants - Civic Engineers

Heritage - Place and Context

EIA - Turley 

Ecology and BNG - RSK  

Real Estate - Young

 

Describe the context of this project, its neighbourhood and people. 

 

Located adjacent to the Liver Building and stretching north for over 2km, along the River Mersey, Liverpool Waters is an ambitious 30 year regeneration plan to transform 60 hectares of former dockland into an accessible, vibrant, inclusive and sustainable extension of Liverpool’s internationally recognised waterfront. Liverpool Waters is split into five neighbourhoods - Princes Docks, King Edward Triangle, Central Docks, Clarence Docks and Northern Docks. Spanning over 10.5-hectares, Central Docks is the largest brownfield site in Liverpool and will become the largest of the five planned neighbourhoods within the wider Liverpool Waters district. Central Docks sits between Princes Dock (home to over 1,000 residents and hundreds of businesses) and Bramley Moore Dock – location of Everton Football Club’s new 56,000-seater stadium. It will provide a vital connection to link both the neighbourhoods with new waterside pedestrian routes along the River Mersey. Together with new walking and cycling routes through a new 2.1 hectare ‘Central Park’ which will be built as part of Central Docks. Central Park will provide space to host major events and be used for socialising, play, wellbeing and engaging with/supporting nature. Surrounding the Central Park, Peel Waters have plans for 2,350 new homes at Central Docks which will have a diverse offering, including affordable, build-to-rent, and elderly. Peel is already engaging in advanced discussions with partners to develop plots within the future mixed tenure neighbourhood. The plans for Central Docks also include two new hotels, retail and leisure opportunities and a new cultural building on the waterfront.

 

Please describe your approach to this future place and its mix of uses. How will it function as a vibrant place? How does it knit into, and serve the needs of, the wider area?

 

The 20 year old vision to regenerate Liverpool’s iconic docklands has remained constant. Liverpool Waters’ five neighbourhoods have been founded on local heritage, culture and social cohesion will create an enjoyable, healthy and safe place. Central Docks lies at the heart of this. A 20 minute neighbourhood approach will mean everyone can live, work, shop and socialise within a 10 minute return walk. Public transport stops are located with 5 minutes’ walk of every home to ensure inclusivity. A mixture of housing types, sizes and tenure, Central Docks will facilitate an intergenerational masterplan - everyone can find a home, feel at home, and no one needs to leave in order to upsize or downsize. The architecture will sensitively seek to retain the dockland’s historic identity. The Cultural Building within Central Docks will act as a new cultural landmark for the city and will be designed and operated in partnership with innovative cultural, events and place leaders. In addition, Central Park, a 2 hectare area of green space, is designed to be an exemplar of ecological urbanism and address the city’s environmental and well-being goals. Central Docks will knit seamlessly into Liverpool’s city centre and outlying cultural landmarks. Its park, shops, offices, leisure and cultural offer will be used by locals and attract a new visitor economy. A River Walk will connect from Central Park to Liverpool’s riverfront leisure route, south to the Pier Head, and north to Everton FC’s Bramley Moore Dock Stadium.

 

What is the social and environmental impact of the project? For example, how will the carbon use and material impact of the development be mitigated? What is the sustainability strategy?

 

Liverpool Waters strives for sustainability excellence. Arup will lead on the strategic sustainability strategy for the site-wide development. The net zero in operation development will focus on: maximising building efficiency, adopting circular economy principles, enhancing local ecology, and adding to the sustainable travel network. Planit’s Climate Positive Design Tool has been employed for the design of Central Park and will continue to act as a key influence to minimise the number of years to climate positive. A District Heat Network is already in place and operational within Princes Dock, ready for the new development plots to plug in to. Central Park will provide a 270% uplift in Biodiversity Net Gain. The landscapes, streetscapes and structures will also be a haven for a large variety of different ecosystems and habitats. Dockland waterspaces will be dedicated to encouraging flora and fauna to thrive. Circular economy principles are inherent. A detailed strategy to lift, record and reuse heritage materials has already been evidenced in the wider development e.g. Everton FC’s new public realm and Princes Dock repurposing old relics into furniture. Developing a strong sense of community is embedded into the heart of Central Docks, including spaces for: a health facility, community hall, primary school, library and nursery. The layout of the neighbourhoods has been influenced heavily by 10 minute walking radii to ensure 20-minute neighbourhood principles will be realised. A sustainable transport hierarchy will mean car parking will be divorced from homes and centralised into a mobility hub within the neighbourhood.