Business is ‘paying a price’ for ongoing disruption caused by the Lime Street development, according to CEO of Liverpool BID Company Bill Addy.
Progress on the Lime Street development has been largely reduced to remedial works after the project’s lead contractor, NMCN, went into administration in October 2021.
The City Council appointed contractors Huyton Asphalt to carry out remedial work and secure the site in December which has led to improved walkways and lighting installed.
READ MORE: Key changes to controversial lime street scheme proposed
However much of the site has remained closed off and inaccessible due to the incomplete works which were set to radically change the key ‘gateway’ to the city.
Liverpool BID CEO, Billy Addy, said: "While disruption continues, business is paying a price. There is confusion for people trying to get in and out of the city centre. The pathways are not accessible.
“The main gateway to the city is a building site and that impacts on confidence. At Liverpool BID we have worked tirelessly to support city centre business, across retail, hospitality and culture to weather the storm of the past two years, but that they have to face another six months of disruption is disheartening and discouraging.”
Following the collapse of NMCN, Mayor Joanne Anderson outlined in October that the scheme would be reviewed after a number of its features proved controversial for its impacts on public transport.
Amendments to the scheme were revealed this week, but according to the council the project isn’t likely to be completed in its new form until at least the summer, posing another six months of disruption for businesses in close proximity to the project.
The development is included in the near £50m City Centre Connectivity Scheme which was first proposed in 2015 and looked to dramatically change how vehicles and pedestrians travelled around the centre of the city.
Other aspects of the scheme include the on-going revamp of The Strand, which moves to its second phase in the spring, as well as the dismantling of the Churchill Way flyover.
Work on the Lime Street project began in October 2020 with aims of completing the scheme by summer 2021.
However there were a number of disputes over the scheme as the original proposals would have imposed a Traffic Regulation Order which would have stopped buses travelling along Eliot Street, St George’s Place and beyond - impacting the public transport links for the wider city.
This led to the resignation of then Cabinet Member Laura Robertson-Collins.
Another disputed aspect of the scheme were plans for a reflective pool outside of St George’s Hall on the corner of St George’s place.
A recent council report found that the reflective pool was in fact to be built on top of a United Utilities culvert.
It stated: “The proposed mirror pool is located over a United Utilities owned culvert, which effectively means that significant works would need to be carried out to the culvert before the mirror pool can be installed.
“In addition, the council would remain liable to remove the mirror pool in case United Utilities needed access to the culvert in the future.”
However, both of the contentious aspects could now be amended if proposals approved by councillors at Tuesday’s Environment and Climate Change Committee.
The review of the scheme, carried out following the collapse of NMCN, has proposed alterations to include:
- Enhanced pedestrian crossings
- Improved cycle facilities
- Secure cycle parking
- A bus stop outside Lime Street station
- Disabled parking facilities
- The introduction of a 20 mph zone together with access-only restrictions on Lime Street, between Queens Square Bus Station and London Road.
The new scheme would see plans for the reflective pool ditched and the Steble Street Fountain already in place outside St George’s Hall reconnected.
Buses could also be given the green light to run in both directions along Lime Street.
After the select committee, the proposals will then go to Cabinet on February 4.
The council states that if approval is granted, contractors will then be sought to complete the scheme.
It is hoped the development will complete in the summer of 2022.
However, due to the remedial works and costs of securing the site, a total of £1.5m will be sought on top of the original £9.1m budget to complete the project - taking its overall total to £10.7m
When announcing the revised proposals, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, Cllr Dan Barrington, apologised for the for the delay and disruption surrounding the project.
He said: “The Lime Street scheme has generated quite a few problems, not least the collapse of the original contractor and we apologise for the delays and disruption this has caused.
“However, this gave us the opportunity to revisit the design of the scheme especially the biggest complaint we were receiving – the removal of access for buses at Brownlow Hill.
“I’d like to thank the officers and the engineers for their hard work in this proposed redesign. It’s a good compromise and one which ensures the overall aims of improving the Lime Street experience, without hurting bus users on certain key routes.
“I look forward to the discussion at select committee, where members will be able to hear and test the thinking behind these revisions. Once everything is agreed, and the works are finally completed one thing is for certain - Liverpool city centre will have a gateway it can be proud of.”
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