650-home scheme set for green light

Eye-catching plans to create more than 650 new homes in Liverpool across four interlinked apartment blocks ranging from 11 to 15 storeys in height look set to secure the green light.A full planning application by Vinco Group with John and Elaine Sutch to regenerate a 1.7-acre site in the Vauxhall area overlooking Leeds Street has been lodged with Liverpool City Council. The plot, bounded by Freemasons Row, St Bartholomew Street, Naylor Street and Gladstone Street, was formerly occupied by John Sutch Cranes which has now relocated to Bootle.The Falconer Chester Hall-designed scheme involves demolishing the existing buildings onsite to make way for a new development comprising residential accommodation for the private rented sector and ground-floor commercial units. It is envisaged that there would be 656 homes in total, comprising 60 studios, 324 one-bed apartments, 242 two-bed apartments, 16 three-bed apartments and 14 two-bed townhouses.The height of the scheme would rise from 11 storeys on Naylor Street to 15 storeys on Leeds Street, with a maximum height of 48 metres.Ahead of the meeting, a report prepared by planning officers has advised councillors that the proposals would “create an attractive and high-quality development” and has recommended their approval.Vinco, the Speke-based real estate developer behind the project, was established in 2014.