An area of Liverpool city centre could soon look very different thanks to two multi-million pound projects.
Work is well underway on the construction of a new four star hotel on the corner of Park Lane and Liver Street, where the city centre meets the start of the Baltic Triangle. The 260 bedroom Dalata Maldron Hotel will come equipped with a restaurant, gym and business centre - and there are also plans for a block of 90 apartments to be built beside it.
The £37.5m development is being built on what was previously a public car park, in a joint venture between Anthony Maxwell-Jones' firm Merseyside Sun Ltd, Aviva, Dalata & McAleer & Rushe.
READ MORE: Teacher who let boy, 4, leave school alone 'didn't want to be there'
It is one of two major projects set to transform the area, with work having also started on the redevelopment of the former Heap's Rice Mill into luxury apartments with a basement spa.
DON'T MISS:Snow to fall on Liverpool as Met Office reveals dates of cold snap
Remembering the Golden Eagle hotel
Stranded dolphins rescued from 'hidden' Liverpool beach
The Beckwith Street site was home to Joseph Heap & Sons Ltd, which once ground rice for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, and is one of the last surviving complexes of its kind in the area. It is also said to have provided underground access for smugglers to get to the docks in years gone by.
Its transformation is being led by Legacie Developments with support from sales partner RWInvest. Plans include restoring and repurposing Heap's Mill into 123 high-end apartments and commercial space, while planning permission has recently been granted for a basement spa.
The plans also include the construction of three new ten, eleven and 14 storey blocks of flats and an aparthotel. Construction workers have been seen at the site in recent weeks as work begins on the development.
In December, the ECHO was given exclusive drone footage from inside the run down site, which started life as a rice mill in the late 1700s and was later combined into a single building.
John Morley, chief executive of Legacie Developments, who now own the site, told the ECHO at the time: "It's going to be amazing. The history behind it is unbelievable and it'll be a fantastic scheme.
"We'll have a Heap's Mill museum in reception. An area dedicated to the history of the site."
Concerns have previously been raised about the deteriorating state the Grade II listed mill which has been empty since 2005 - and has had planning permission to be converted into apartments since 2014.
The site was twice owned and sold by the Elliot Group, before it was sold to Mr Maxwell-Jones' firm Quarryman Investments Ltd. The site has since been bought by Legacie Developments who are now carrying out the project.
In a previous interview with the ECHO, Mr Maxwell-Jones said the development had been hit by delays in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic and rising inflation rates.
READ NEXT:
Teacher who let boy, 4, leave school alone 'didn't want to be there'
Woman scammed her own grandad out of £75k
Major search launched for missing baby after mum and dad arrested for child neglect
Scouse citizenship test proves how much you know about the city
John Bishop bringing 'most joyful' show he's worked on to Liverpool Empire this week
READ MORE: Full list of DWP cost of living payments available in March 2023
