Festival Gardens could be 'most exciting development in the UK'

David Humphreys

11 September 2024 at 11:51 am·2-min read

Development of Liverpool’s Festival Gardens site has the potential to be “one of the most exciting residential projects anywhere in this country”, according to city leaders. Liverpool Council has signed off on a procurement plan to appoint a development partner for the huge location in the south of the city.

The 28-acre site has been earmarked for the creation of a major housing development and the formation of a new neighbourhood for a number of years now. The local authority has taken the next step in the journey for the flagship project.

The site was first opened in 1984 and has been earmarked to boost the city’s housing supply having been left vacant for decades. The council hopes to bring on a mix of housing to create a new community in south Liverpool around 10 minutes from the city centre.

As the council cabinet signed off on a plan to seek a development partner for the scheme, Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council said it was “a really exciting next stage for the site” and said it was “great remediation work is now complete.” Key infrastructure elements have been included and installed as part of that work.

The leader also heralded the “equally brilliant” Southern Grasslands, a huge public space opened last year, as a “key component part of the site” and described the potential of Festival Gardens to be “one of the most exciting residential projects anywhere in the country.”

Cllr Robinson added: “It’s about looking at how we can create that thriving sustainable healthy neighbourhood, maximising its river views, maximising its parkland setting, looking at how we can have a development of all types and tenders and bringing that forward in the next few years.”

The initial phase of the procurement process will begin in October, with a view to securing a partner towards the middle of next year. The development brief will form the central part of a procurement process, seeking viable expressions of interest from developers with a proven, successful track record in delivering transformative schemes at pace, which are built on strong community engagement.

Montagu Evans will be running the procurement process on behalf of the council. It is expected that the contract with the successful development partner will be finalised in Autumn 2025 once thorough due diligence has been undertaken.

Cllr Robinson added: “This is a huge opportunity for the decades ahead for a really important development site to deliver high quality housing for the city.” Cllr Sam East, cabinet member for housing, said he was in “fulsome support” of the move.

He said: “It’s an absolutely vital step towards meeting our housing targets and a step towards meeting our own housing ambitions in the city.”

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