Apartments plan set for nod

Plans to convert part of an early 19th century building in Liverpool into apartments look set to be approved.Highneal Ltd want to convert the upper floors of Century Buildings on 31 North John Street into 22 serviced apartments.The application seeks full planning permission for the conversion of part of the first floor and the whole of second to fifth floors of the application building into 14 one-bedroom and eight two-bed serviced apartments.The site relates to a six-storey plus basement corner building located at the junction between Victoria Street and North John Street. It currently comprises vacant office spaces and toilets at upper floor levels and commercial uses at the ground floor and basement including bars and restaurants.The building is a non-listed building built around 1901 and located within the Castle Street Conservation Area and the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City World Heritage Site boundary. A meeting of Liverpool City Council’s planning committee on 29 October had resolved to grant planning permission subject to the signing of a section 106 agreement and to a range of conditions.The legal agreement is now ready for completion.However due to the time period that has elapsed since the original report was written, the application needs to be reconsidered by the planning committee having regard to any other changed circumstances, particularly in relation to national and local planning policy. No amendments have been made to the scheme approved and now a new recommendation has been made to approve the plans subject to a legal agreement.Planners will discuss the application next Tuesday.