Beetham founder and Home Bargains parent team up on high-rise plan for Liverpool industrial estate site

The founder of famous North West development business Beetham has teamed up with the parent company of Home Bargains to buy a former industrial estate in Liverpool and plan a high-rise development there.

Peel has sold the King Edward Triangle site near Liverpool's waterfront to KEIE Limited, paving the way for a 1,200-apartment scheme. KEIE Limited is part of Liverpool's TJ Morris group which owns Home Bargains and which just today announced annual sales of £3.8bn and profits of £332m.

KEIE is working with Hugh Frost, whose Beetham Organisation built the 40-floor West Tower and shorter Beetham Tower near the new site. Mr Frost's then company also built the Beetham Tower in Manchester, which was that city’s tallest building for more than a decade, and another Beetham Tower in Birmingham.

Mr Frost said: "We can expect a stunning mixed use development worthy of our great city. It’s a privilege and pleasure to be involved again on home soil, in what is going to be a transformational project for Liverpool city centre. Our development will bring jobs and prosperity through a variety of uses. "

And Dave Little, director of KEIE, said: "We are extremely excited to be able to bring forward this prime redevelopment site. We believe this development will be transformational to our home city and is key to support our future economic growth.

"As a local company, we are proud to be playing our part in the regeneration of this area of the city. With the support of TJ Morris Limited, we are well placed and have the expertise, imagination and drive to deliver something special. Key to our involvement is our partnership with Beetham Limited who have the right track record and the same desire as us to provide a landmark scheme for future generations."

Mr Frost added: "Liverpool council have been proactive and supportive, and I am looking forward to working with them to realise our ambitions."

The site was owned by property giant Peel and is part of the wider Liverpool Waters development that stretches from Princes Dock right up to Everton FC's new dockside stadium.

Chris Capes, director of development at Liverpool Waters, said: "The King Edward Triangle neighbourhood is a pivotal link between Liverpool Waters, the Business District, and the city centre. Securing partners with such ambitions for this key site is fantastic news for Liverpool Waters and the city of Liverpool.

"Bringing in other developers and investors to work in partnership with us to accelerate the regeneration of Liverpool’s northern dockland has always been part of the strategy for the scheme, and we look forward to seeing Hugh Frost and his team transform the site, bringing new jobs and new homes to the area.”

The TJ Morris group is also behind projects including an 83-apartment scheme on Duke Street in Liverpool city centre, the redevelopment of the former Halewood International site in Huyton, and a 97,000 sq ft warehouse called Speke 100 in south Liverpool.

Last month, Liverpool City Council's cabinet agreed to a £1.5m deal that would enable the construction of residential skyscrapers on the King Edward Triangle site. The area is an industrial estate found on Gibraltar Row, next to Princes Dock and is currently home to a number of businesses including breweries Carnival and Azvex, Hatchet Harry's Axe Throwing and Crew 42 Gym.

Freehold covenants were in place on the site, which meant that it could not be used for anything other than general and light industrial purposes, warehousing and car parking.

The deal made with the council last month on the King Edward site saw the release of the covenants, enabling the sale of the site and any future construction. However, when news of the deal emerged, business owners based at the estate held an emergency meeting to discuss their uncertainty about the future.

Carnival brewery co-owner Dom Hope-Smith said on social media "We've built quite a positive cultural offer on the estate since 2020-21 which connects the city to Ten Streets etc." The city council assured the businesses that it would support them to relocate if needed.

Mr Frost said today: "We are aware of the concerns that existing tenants have and there is genuine empathy for the traders on the estate. Every effort will be made to help them with relocation at the appropriate time."

Brabners acted for both T.J. Morris and Peel Waters on the deal.

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