How Liverpool could look different under Labour's new plans

A new Labour party policy could bring about major changes in the way that Liverpool looks. Heading into his party's conference in Liverpool, Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday (September 22) announced the introduction of new 'planning passports’ to encourage the building of homes.

The proposal aims to accelerate 'urban densification' and mean that Labour's default answer to planning applications will be yes, provided that proposed buildings meet design and quality standards. It is a central aspect of the government's intentions to build 1.5m homes across the country during the course of this parliament.

A Labour press release, sent to announce the move, named Liverpool as one of the cities in which the government wishes to encourage 'densification'. As part of its planning passport move, it wishes to develop housing on brownfield sites, reinstate local housing targets, and approve development on urban sites such as car parks.

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Labour's messaging on the policy states a preference for 'gentle density' which is in keeping with existing residents' wishes. The party cited multi-storey townhouses as a goal, rather than mentioning building towers or apartment blocks.

Announcing the policy, Sir Keir Starmer said: "The dream of homeownership has been out of reach for so many hard working people for far too long. Housebuilding has stalled and planning changes blocked. The country has been held back.

“My Labour government is turning that on its head, giving more people the security they need to build the future they deserve. From wholesale changes on planning to the NPPF, to levelling the landlord-renters playing field with our Renters Rights Bill, we are building on the work done in opposition and doing what we promised – rolling up our sleeves and delivering change for working people.

“That work continues at pace. Working alongside our mayors and local leaders, the new planning passports will put rocket boosters under housebuilding. They mean that where development proposals meet design and quality standards, the default answer will be yes, not no. Because I mean what I said before the election: Labour are the party of aspiration, security and growth. We don’t shy away from tough decisions. We are the builders, not the blockers.”

What is densification and what will it mean for Liverpool?

A term used by planners and the construction industry, densification essentially means to house more people in a certain area. Applied to urban areas like the city of Liverpool, in reality it means to build upwards - constructing homes in towers, blocks or townhouses of multiple storeys, rather than in independent houses standing alongside each other.

Densification can also result in buildings being closer together and homes being smaller. Though Labour did not mention apartment blocks or high-rise developments when it announced its new planning passport policy, we can expect the plans would result in a greater number of such buildings in Liverpool.

The government has already shown it wants to build homes in Liverpool. Labour's economic messaging is built around growth and it sees building new homes as key to that, while also addressing the housing crisis which has resulted in huge waiting lists for social housing and means many young people live with their parents well into adulthood, rather than getting on the housing ladder.

In her first speech as Chancellor, Rachel Reeves said the new government would establish a taskforce to tackle stalled housing schemes across the country. This would begin with work in Liverpool - at the Central Docks project, which is part of the Liverpool Waters regeneration scheme.

Liverpool Waters aims to transform the city's northern docklands over the next 30 years. Central Docks is the largest neighbourhood within the scheme and is the city's largest brownfield site.

A number of apartment blocks have already been built in and around Princes Dock as part of Liverpool Waters and future developments on the city's waterfront will see the construction of skyscrapers. In April, the ECHO reported that the company behind Home Bargains and the man behind Liverpool's tallest tower joined forces to buy a former industrial estate on the edge of Liverpool city centre - and are planning a landmark high-rise development on the site that has already been earmarked for skyscrapers.

Based on the space available in central Liverpool, it appears that apartment blocks and potentially towers would be the more likely types of building constructed. The planning passport would make it easier for developers to have their plans approved, making the construction of new blocks and towers on the city's iconic waterfront more probable.