Victoria Street set for £5m scheme

Plans have been lodged for a £5m multi-storey car park with retail units such as cafés and restaurants as part of a wider regeneration scheme in Liverpool city centre.The city council is behind a scheme to build the 333-space car park over five floors the site of the surface car park on Victoria Street.In addition, there will be 5,970 sq ft of retail space, including digital advertising screens. An area of public realm on the corner of Victoria Street and Sir Thomas Street is also included in the proposals.Documents prepared by architects’ practice Leach Rhodes Walker said the project has been “sensitively designed” so that it is “in keeping with the surrounding context of the site” and does not impose on neighbouring buildings.The project is designed to be a catalyst to the further regeneration of the Victoria Street area and would meet the demand of new hotels close to the site which do not have their own car parking.Under the wider plans, £3m from the Department for Transport’s Local Growth Fund will be used to improve the highways, public realm and pavements on Victoria Street.The cost of building the car park is estimated to be about £5m, which would be covered by borrowing on an invest to earn basis, with the debt cost covered by the income from people using the car park.