A long-stalled development site on the outskirts of Liverpool city centre, vacant for 25 years, could soon be brought back to life, approximately four decades after a former school was demolished. The land in Vauxhall, bordered by dilapidated metal fencing and covered in long grass and rusty construction vehicles, sits between Blackstock Street, Bevington Bush and Paul Street. It has been subject to several proposals over the last two decades, all from the same developer.
412-Unit Housing Scheme Proposed
In January 2023, the ECHO reported on a planned 412-unit housing scheme and an application by W.F. Doyle Holdings Ltd to build four new blocks between eight and 10 storeys high. According to the planning statement submitted by Landor Planning Consultants, hundreds of one-and-two-bed apartments would be delivered in a style described as “simple and contemporary”. The planning document said the heights of the blocks “respond to and respect the adjacent proposals and existing buildings” while a redevelopment of the vacant site would contribute towards the “economic activity, regeneration, place-making and vitality of the area”.
Historic Site of Former School
The site is of some significance to the city as the former location of North Corporation School, one of the last Liverpool Corporation schools, and one of two which it founded back in 1826. It is unclear when the school was actually torn down, but an archived ECHO letters page from June 1985 describes hoardings being erected around the site in preparation for demolition works. In August 2000, W.F. Doyle (WFD) submitted its first planning application, which includes a planning report suggesting the former school building had previously been awarded listed status and required consent to demolish the remaining walls.
Recent Progress on Conditions
More than 25 years after WFD sought planning permission to develop the land, the site remains empty, with heavy-duty machinery seemingly left abandoned and grass growing up around their rusty edges. Cross-referencing images from Google Maps and recent photographs, it appears one of the construction vehicles has been there for more than 15 years. However, earlier this month, a raft of new documents were uploaded to LCC's planning portal, relating to an application to discharge one of the 41 conditions imposed when the developer secured full planning permission in May 2024. Over the last few months, WFD has submitted several new applications to meet 10 of the conditions, with some already approved after the requested reports were filed.
This flurry of activity indicates there could soon be a significant update on this major development proposal, which would add more than 400 new homes to Vauxhall's housing mix, within an area associated with the much-vaunted Pumpfields regeneration project.
