Cavern Walks on Mathew Street in Liverpool is set for a new 103-bedroom serviced apartment scheme, with developers in advanced negotiations with a national operator and completion targeted for Q2 2027. The plans follow the shelving of a proposed Motto by Hilton hotel at the site.
New scheme submitted for Cavern Walks
A spokesperson for JSM Company Group, which owns the building, confirmed: "We are pleased to share that a new 103-bedroom scheme has been submitted, with targeted completion in Q2 2027." The spokesperson added: "Following a review, moving forward with high-quality serviced apartments allows us to better address the evolving demands of Liverpool’s tourism sector."
JSM said it is "currently in advanced negotiations with a national operator for the site, though we cannot provide further details at this stage." The ECHO had approached JSM in May about its plans for a Motto Hotel, which are understood to have been shelved.
History of proposals for the site
Cavern Walks opened in 1984 as a luxury retail destination, with hanging plants, candy pink lamp posts and a wall-climber lift linking two shopping levels. In the 2000s, the site, built on the original location of the Cavern Club, was filled with high-end brands such as Cricket and Vivienne Westwood and boasted celebrity customers such as Pamela Anderson, Coleen Rooney and Alex Gerrard.
The building has been subject to several proposals over the last eight years. Initially bought by Signature Living in 2018, plans were then drawn up for a luxury hotel, including turning the upper floors into hotel rooms and the ground floor and mezzanine into an ‘upmarket’ bar and restaurant. Those proposals were given the go-ahead in 2019 but never came to fruition.
It was later hoped that a partnership between JSM Company Group and entrepreneur Craig Greenwood would see a hotel developed at the location, after Mr Greenwood acquired Cavern Walks in a £7m joint venture with JSM in October 2022. In October 2024, the city council’s planning committee signed off on an expanded proposal for a 283-room hotel, having already said yes to a 150-room set up previously.
JSM's property portfolio and retail outlook
JSM already has a considerable property portfolio, containing some of the city centre's most recognisable buildings, including the old Bank of England building on Castle Street - now home to The Ivy restaurant - as well as the Fruit Exchange on Victoria Street, and the former Magistrates Court on Dale Street.
In May, the ECHO reported the 'fresh hope' felt by new tenants of the property's ground floor shopping centre, with owners confident the site was entering a 'new era'. Some retailers said they were excited by the future of the centre and believed a planned hotel on the upper floors would improve footfall and increase visitors. The new serviced apartment model, as JSM noted, is intended to drive direct footfall to surrounding bars, restaurants, and retail.
