Ropewalks

[Red scouser]

Victory over battle to buy derelict hotel Jul 29 2005
By Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

A DERELICT Liverpool hotel with a compulsory purchase order on it is to be bought by the council.

A planning inspector today ruled in favour of the council against Shook Kwan "Jimmy" Wong, the owner of the Scandinavia hotel at the corner of Nelson Street and Duke Street.

The news comes seven weeks aftera public inquiry in Liverpool, and after the Bishop of Liverpool wrote to deputy prime minister John Prescott urging a speedy decision.

It could mean the city could be in possession of the building by October.

Mr Wong appealed aftera compulsory purchase order (CPO) was served on him last year by the council, which claimed regeneration of Ropewalks was hampered by his inability to repair the building, which is on the ECHO's Stop the Rot hit list.

This is the first completely successful CPO through the ECHO's Stop the Rot campaign.

The council has signed an agreement with developers Downing for a £14m hotel, offices and residential scheme on the site at the corner of Nelson Street and Duke Street.

Council leader Mike Storey said today: "This is a powerful message to those people who let our architectural heritage go to rack and ruin.

"We as a city will take relentless action. This shows we mean business. I hope the redevelopment would be completed for 2008."

Mr Wong said today he had not been officially informed about the decision.

At the inquiry he claimed European funding "half-promised" in the mid-1990s had been diverted to other schemes, including the Tea Factory in nearby Wood Street.

He has planning permission-for a restaurant, witha snooker hall, oriental museum and a roof garden.

Plans would 'enhance character' of the area

INSPECTOR Laura Graham listened to three days of evidence at the public inquiry last month and visited the Scandinavia hotel site. She ruled in the council's favour, saying its proposals would:

. Enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area.

. Provide improvements to the public realm through the provision of a new pedestrian route along the original route of Cummings Street.

. Offer a vibrant mix of uses, including a building for use by the local community.

. Accord with the provisions of the development plan.

The inspector said while Mr Wong's plans would bring existing buildings back into use and strengthen the Chinese identity of the area, there were "considerable doubts" over whether he had the necessary funding or could deliver his plans.

The recommendations conclude: "I am satisfied there is a compelling case in the public interest for the compulsory acquisition of all interests in the order land."

Sailors' home

THE Scandinavia hotel was built in the mid-19th century on the corner of Nelson Street and Duke Street. It was a home for sailors from Scandinavia, later became a furniture factory and snooker hall, but has been empty for 25 years.

In 2001, Downing submitted plans to demolish the building and an adjacent factory and replace it with a six-floor hotel, restaurants, bars, offices, apartments and basement car park.

The subsequent revised plans include maintaining the original facade on Nelson Street.

[Paul D]

At last a positive outcome to a building in an important part of town.

[Gareth]

Great news. Maybe this'll teach Jimmy a lesson or two.

[tommygunn]

some constructive news from liverpool council for once great.

[JUXTAPOL]

Unfortunately Jimmy has been too slow, and not got a credible plan. Downing Developments who are the developers are a company with proven track record.(The Garden Quarter, Symphony, Temple Court)

This area is seeing some real improvement now. The Blackie, Scandinavian hotel, Whitehouse, new paving public realm, tennament blocks along main road being replaced by Urban Splash, plus apartment's on old garage site next to The Blackie.

[bustcapl]

Originally Posted by tommygunn

some constructive news from liverpool council for once great.

agree with you there!

[Red scouser]

Anyone got any pictures lately of Circle 109 or Duke Street (old car park site)? Two interesting developments currently ongoing in the Ropewalks area.

It will also be interesting to follow the Elysian Fields development on Colquitt Street, a high quality building in this, one of the most interesting areas of the city.

[Craigie_Mann]

Has anyone got renders of what that new square at the back of the walkabout is going to look like?

[buggedboy]

you mean "Concert steps"? Supposed to be finished this winter, but Ive not seen any renderings either.

[buggedboy]

just found this...

Interesting that Frensons won an award for concert steps and no one has actually seen anything of it yet.

encouraging in one sense in that it may mean its gonna be high quality. worrying if the decision as to its quality was decided by anyone in our own planning department.

see below.

http://www.icliverpool.icnetwork.co....name_page.html

[bustcapl]

Originally Posted by buggedboy

just found this...

Interesting that Frensons won an award for concert steps and no one has actually seen anything of it yet.

encouraging in one sense in that it may mean its gonna be high quality. worrying if the decision as to its quality was decided by anyone in our own planning department.

see below.

http://www.icliverpool.icnetwork.co....name_page.html

doesn't work bugged boy!

[Awayo]

lose the dub dub dub: http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/1...name_page.html

[Red scouser]

Land swap leads to plan for luxury apartments Sep 7 2005
By Larry Neild, Daily Post

WORK has started on a £14m development of luxury apartments in the Rope Walks area of the city centre after a land swap deal with a local college.

Builder David McLean is constructing Elysian Fields in Colquitt Street, off Duke Street, for developer Iliad.

The site once housed the former Liverpool Community College catering and hairdressing departments.

The site was exchanged with the college who moved hundreds of students to a new building on the opposite side of Duke Street in a new development known as East Village.

David McLean has a close working relationship with Iliad with whom it developed the popular East Village scheme which has helped lead to a renaissance in the Duke Street area. The partnership has led to a string of developments in Rope Walks worth more than £40m.

Last month, David McLean Contractors sold its interest in the East Village development to a new Iliad joint venture company. This brought to an end its five-year involvement with what has been one of the most significant development programmes for a decade in the city centre.

It has seen the arrival of two new restaurants in Duke Street, the Japanese Sapporo and the Italian Il Forno.

The old college building is currently being demolished to make way for the new apartment block which will have an underground car park.

Iliad chose the Greek name Elysian Fields after a meadow mentioned in the work by Homer.

[Paul D]

I was recently wondering when this was going to make a start,great news.

[westisbest]

I think the ropewalks area of Liverpool is going to be the "Apartment" capital of Liverpool, love the area and it has a view of the RLB and downtown

[Paul D]

Formerly St peters Church and is the latest bar and restaurant to open in Liverpool,it retains a lot of the churches original features i.e the alter and stained glass windows and as the name suggests has a distinct Latin feel of Cuba "Miami".Its a classy bar and is aiming at the Blue Bar and Panamerican bar set.Its food and drink echoes a distinct latin flavour with influences from Cuba,Argentina and Brazil.The location was formerly a centre for Liverpool's Polish community and was visited by Mother Teresa shortly before its closure in the late 1990's.

[pjmulholland]

Wow, is that the interior of St Peters?

I had no idea.

That'll make a fab pub.

[sloyne]

Originally Posted by Paul D

The location was formerly a centre for Liverpool's Polish community.

You might be getting St. Peters mixed up with St. Philip Neri on Catherine Street. St. Phillips offered twelve oclock mass on sundays and the sermon at this mass was always in Polish. The Polish National Club 'Dom Polska' was located across the street from St. Philips in one of those big beautiful Georgian houses.

[Pietari]

http://www.aliashotels.com/aliasropewalks/

Old news perhaps.

Didn`t the Polish community move from St Peters Seel Street to St Philip Neri`s Catherine Street when St Peters closed?

[sloyne]

Originally Posted by Pietari

Didn`t the Polish community move from St Peters Seel Street to St Philip Neri`s Catherine Street when St Peters closed?

Not to my knowledge. St. Philips offered the twelve oclock "Polish" mass (mass was in Latin but sermon was in Polish) from (to my personal knowledge) 1951. St. Peter's, Seel Street didn't close, as a parish church, until the early 1970's. I believe St. Peters parishoners became part of St. Vincents parish.

I think St. Philips was an annex of St. Anne's, Overbury Street.