McLaren Property submits a planning application to Liverpool City Council for a purpose-built student accommodation scheme on Myrtle Street in Liverpool. The sympathetic development finds a solution to the sensitive gateway site between a conservation area and knowledge district.
The site was formerly home to the Ritz Roller Rink. McLaren Property is the third owner seeking to regenerate the site, and the company is confident that they have found a successful solution to the constraints and sensitivities of the location.
If approved, Myrtle Street will deliver 242 student beds – almost a third will be studios, with the remaining arranged in four-, five- and six-bedroom clusters around common rooms. Amenities include a social lounge, study hub and cinema room, alongside essential shared facilities such as a laundry, and the option to book guest rooms. The scheme also features Art Deco references.
Neighbouring the University of Liverpool campus, the Myrtle Street site has good transport links and residents will also have access to space for 81 bicycles.
Designed by Cartwright Pickard Architects, the Myrtle Street development was refined through lengthy discussions with Liverpool City Council’s planning, urban design and conservation officers. This resulted in a high-quality development that is sympathetic to a prominent location, marking the gateway between Liverpool city centre, the university and the Canning Street Conservation Area.
The Myrtle Street PBSA development has been designed to support residents’ health and wellbeing. The scheme is targeting BREEAM Excellent through a highly efficient building envelope and services.
The project team for Myrtle Street includes CBRE as planning consultants; Atelier Ten – MEP; Hydrock for civils, structures, acoustics, air quality, fire, BREEAM; Pulse Consult – cost consultant/EA; Fore – highways; Ares for landscape; Project Four Safety – principal designer; Ball and Berry for building control; MB Heritage – heritage; and Bowland Consultancy for trees.
“This is going to be a really inviting and vibrant student hub on the edge of Liverpool’s knowledge district. It doesn’t just offer proximity to the university campus but is set alongside the Georgian and Greek revival architecture of the conservation area. The previous building had long since fallen into disrepair and ceased to do justice to the location. Our sensitive design regenerates the site, respects neighbouring heritage and provides an ideal base for students.”
Tom Gilman, Regional Managing Director, McLaren Property
