New £120m housing scheme is approved for Liverpool, featuring 400 homes and rooftop track, aiming to reduce “brain drain.”
The area, called Metalworks, is near Freemasons Row and Gladstone Street. The plan includes over 400 homes with two 16-story buildings. There will be shops and a gym, as well as a running track on the roof.
Tom Cardwell thinks graduates might stay in Liverpool, stopping the city’s “brain drain.” The site previously had earlier development plans. A plan for 312 homes in 13 and 11-story buildings was approved in 2017, and another in 2018 proposed 319 homes in 15 and 13-story blocks, but those projects never started.
Currently, only a café is on the site, and it will be torn down. The new buildings will feature apartments, including 177 one-bedroom units, 218 two-bedroom apartments, and six three-bedroom homes, with some apartments and others townhouses.
The Marble Hall pub, formerly on Vauxhall Road, has been empty and will be demolished. The building will house a gym, shops, offices, and a cinema. The rooftop track is a unique feature: residents can run and exercise along the building’s edge, sheltered by a steel structure.
Adam Hall, speaking for Jarron, said the project will create 370 construction and operational jobs and that Jarron is committed to the project as a catalyst for further building. Joe Hanson believes the project improves the area, seeing positive activity.
Tricia O’Brien believes it fills a need for people who want to rent for short periods and move easily for jobs. As such, she supports the plans fully, as she believes Liverpool needs development, including near the waterfront, to bring the city back to life.
Tom Cardwell said it adds homes and fixes up a run-down place, expressing hope that young people stay in Liverpool, as they often leave because of housing. Will Clarke is excited about the approval, seeing the project as iconic, creating exceptional living with access to work and transport, and thanked the council.