Lime Street Gateway gets go ahead
Liverpool City Council’s planning committee have approved new plans for Lime Street Gateway.
Work can now start on removing the shops and Concourse House tower that mask the station’s listed Victorian gable end, so that a new area of public space can be developed.
Earlier this month the final tenants moved out of the shops, allowing detailed internal survey work to start. Once this has been completed, a “soft strip” will begin, removing all materials from the shops and Concourse House.
The Capital of Culture banners, which have become a city landmark in their own right, will remain until the demolition of the office block which once topped a city-wide “blot on the landscape” poll.
This work is scheduled to take place in July, with construction of the new public realm due to start in January 2009.
The new public space will provide improved pedestrian access to and from the station and will draw visitors towards the city’s Cultural Quarter. Gentle slopes that avoid the steep hill of Skelhorne Street and the station side entrance will greatly improve access.
Tree planting has also been incorporated in the design, using a raised granite-edged planter with lime trees and shrubs.
The Gateway project involves five public sector partners: national regeneration agency English Partnerships, Liverpool Vision, Liverpool City Council, Merseytravel and Network Rail.
Network Rail's route director Peter Strachan said: "The shops and tower have blighted what should be a marvellous vista for passengers arriving at the station from the city centre. At last the full glory of the 1836 building will be available for all to see and the new public area, designed to complement the overall look of the station, will fit well with the work we have recently completed inside."
