Liverpool appoints design team for Baltic Triangle regeneration

Liverpool City Council has commissioned a team of urban designers and planners to further develop the city’s Baltic Triangle area.

LDA Design, who planned the regeneration of London’s Olympic Park, has been tasked with drafting a Spatial Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the future development of the district, which covers 37.6 hectares of mixed-used land just south of Liverpool city centre.

One of the UK’s creative hotspots, the Baltic Triangle now serves as Liverpool’s creative and digital quarter and is also home to many popular night-time economy venues.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: ‘The development of the Baltic Triangle is one of Liverpool’s great success stories of the past decade and this new masterplan will help guide and ensure this growth continues for the decades to come.

‘Consultation with businesses and residents will be crucial to how this plan is shaped and I’m delighted we’ve appointed an internationally respected team of designers and planners who value community led design to oversee this process.

‘The area’s position as one of Britain’s fastest-growing digital and creative hubs is something the city takes great pride in and we want to nurture this to ensure its future as a major engine in our economy.’

The Baltic Triangle’s growing popularity has led it to attract significant levels of development in recent years — since 2012 it has attracted £128m of new developments with a further £62m currently on site.

A former industrial area, the Baltic Triangle has also seen significant residential growth over the past decade as its population has doubled.

LDA’s report will build on the Baltic Triangle Development Framework endorsed by the council in December 2017, which laid out a number of principles relating to the district’s design and development.

The draft SRF will be put out to public consultation in the summer and will be used to supplement and inform planning applications in the area.

Mark Graham, Director of LDA, said: ‘The Baltic Triangle is renowned as one of the most creative and independent districts in the UK, with a growing global reputation, and has seen huge growth over recent years.

‘The complexity of the place brings significant challenges and opportunities — this work will set a framework that outlines the positive future growth of the area. We are delighted to be part of it.

‘It has been clear from the outset that the community of the Baltic Triangle must sit at the heart of this work and play their part in shaping its future. We will therefore be working collaboratively to deliver a shared vision for the area.’

Once adopted, the SPD will also be incorporated into Liverpool City Council’s 15-year Local Plan, which sets out key planning aims to support the city’s creative cluster.

The council recently produced an SRF for its Ten Streets district and is currently producing an SRF to guide the future development of its Knowledge Quarter Gateway and Liverpool’s commercial district.