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New life for old Chinatown in Liverpool

Xinhua, December 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ambitious plans for the biggest ever regeneration project in Europe's oldest Chinatown were given the go-ahead Tuesday by planners in Liverpool.

The 300 million U.S. dollar scheme will see a Chinese market and food court, 850 townhouses and apartments as well as a hotel, restaurants and commercial space, surrounded by landscaped gardens.

Developers, North Point Global, are now pledging to start work on the development early in the New Year with completion of phase 1 scheduled by middle 2017.

The scheme will transform a large area of derelict land and grassland at the heart of Liverpool Chinatown which traces its roots back to the late 1800s.

The site spans almost two hectares, with city planners saying in a report the development is intended as an expansion of Chinatown. It will also create a diverse and high-quality city center living and working community and will provide a unique Chinese retail core leisure destination in the form of a "Chinese themed Bazaar" situated within a sunken street.

A dragon design features a folded facade design of one of the buildings in the first phase, influenced by Chinese paper folding "Zhen Zhi", and represents scales of the dragon.

The decision by the city council's planning committee comes less than six months after the selection of North Point Global as preferred developers for the key site by Liverpool City Council.

Liverpool's New Chinatown project has been identified by the national government as one of the key projects within the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

The scheme is fully funded and is being backed by both North Point's established Chinese investment partners and UKTI, Britain's official regeneration investment organization.

Lead architect Antonio Garcia of BLOK Architecture said: "The development aims to create an entirely new kind of Chinatown that captures the energy and intensity of modern China, and creates a hub for Chinese businesses and retailers keen for a foothold in the UK." Endit