The developer behind a controversial plan for hundreds of new homes in Liverpool city centre - that has been delayed for years - is confident the scheme will come to fruition.
The Metalworks project in Pumpfields has been hit by major delays, but Simon Clarke, director of Acentus Real Estate, said he hopes construction can begin again in September, and that keys can start being handed to owners from 2020.
The firm has been involved in the 319-home building since its inception, and said the two-year delay to the Leeds Street plans had also been due to changes at Liverpool City Council.
But Mr Clarke said with new alterations, positives have come from the delays, meaning the scheme is now “a lot bolder, bigger and fresher”.
He told Business Live : “This scheme is in a fantastic location, in a premium L3 postcode. It’s on the cusp of where all the regeneration is going on. You’ve got 10 Streets, Liverpool Waters and the Pumpfields Regeneration area.
“It stands out because it’s also on the access road on the exit of the city - up to the football stadiums, and easy access to the city centre and Lime Street Station.”
The new one-bed and two-bed homes will come with communal gardens and a 24/7 reception and concierge service, as well as space for car and bicycle parking.
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It’s a joint venture between Acentus and Birmingham developers Justin and Christian Hipkiss, and comes after the scheme first secured planning permission back in February 2017.
The deal between the two firms was announced earlier this month.
On Tuesday, Mr Clarke said the first phase of the development will be handed over in 2021, but that the firm can start handing over units to occupiers on a floor-by-floor basis from December next year.
Addressing the delays, he said: “We launched the scheme in April 2017. We then halted sales last year, so members of the planning committee could come onto the council [following changes to committees during that year’s Local Elections]. They wanted to revise many schemes in Liverpool, of which the Metalworks was one”.
It’s also believed legal negotiations over the site’s Section 106 agreement - a financial contribution paid by the developer to the council - further delayed proceedings.
Mr Clarke added: “The only negative is the delays. We have been in contact with owner-occupiers within the scheme to let them know what’s going on. As long as we keep communication moving along, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
He said developers took advantage of the revised process to get an extra two floors, meaning it expanded in size.
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“So the scheme is now a lot bolder, bigger and fresher than it was. As soon as we take over on the site ourselves, together with our new venture partner, [the Section 106] will be paid and construction will begin in September.
“We want to put out a confident message, and will be releasing bi-monthly newsletters to keep people updated.”
Mr Clarke also dismissed any connection between Acentus and North Point Global - the firm linked to a number of stalled projects across Liverpool including New Chinatown, Pall Mall and the Baltic House, despite having worked in sales for the firm.
In 2016, building work on several NPG sites stalled, sparking concerns investors may have lost large sums of money.
NPG then entered into a company voluntary arrangement, but Mr Clarke said the only link is that he was a sales director there, adding: “I didn’t have a shareholding within developments or projects. It was just a job, and people move around in jobs.
“I moved on before everything crashed with NPG, and then I set up Acentus Real Estate.”
When asked why those developments didn’t come off, he said: “In all honesty I think they tried to run before they could walk.
“NPG were let down by the sub-contractor they had. They had one sub-contractor for many different developments. Instead of releasing one project, delivering that project and moving onto another one, they got involved with too many schemes - but then in hindsight a lot of developers do it that way as well. I could name a number of developers who do the same thing in Liverpool and Manchester.”
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After proposals for New Chinatown stalled, a firm called Great George Street Developments (GGSD) bought it, before revealing plans to create a new development on the site while still building flats for the investors who bought them.
According to , GGSD later changed its address to 20 Chapel Street, the location of Mr Clarke’s firm Acentus. There are two floors of serviced offices at the bottom of 20 Chapel Street.
In May, that address was then altered to Avenue HQ in St Paul’s Square.
Despite the similarities in address, Mr Clarke said there were “no links at all” between GGSD and Acentus, except that Acentus would “hopefully be involved in sales on the [GGSD] scheme moving forward”.