Liverpool City Council has approved the legal agreements that allow Urban Splash and igloo to redevelop the Festival Gardens site on the city’s south waterfront, with around 800 homes planned across a mix of market and affordable tenures.
Up to 441 homes are expected in the first phase. The site needed extensive clean-up before it could be built on; that remediation was completed in January 2024 with funding from Homes England, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the council. The partners now move to design work, public consultation and a planning application before phased construction begins.
What to know
- Homes: around 800, including affordable, shared ownership, rental, co-housing and later-living options.
- Next step: consultation, then a planning application.
- Promised: better links from the St Michael’s area to the river, new green space and local amenities.
From the record
The site hosted the 1984 International Garden Festival, the first of its kind in Britain, built on reclaimed derelict land beside the Mersey. Its Chinese and Japanese gardens were restored and reopened to the public in 2012.
Source: Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Express. Reported and written by Old Town Liverpool.
Where to eat nearby
Places within a short walk, chosen for the buildings they stand in.
- The Baltic FleetReal ale pub · WappingThe story →
- ManifestModern British · seasonal tasting & à la carte · Watkinson StreetBook a tableThe story →
- Smoke & DoughTable-grill BBQ, American-Italian · Paradise StreetBook a tableThe story →
