Work is set to begin this month on a long-stalled housing development in Liverpool city centre, as the new developers set about delivering 241 new homes. The newly named Abbey Row development - formerly known as the Islington Quarter - forms part of the city’s wider regeneration strategy, and is located between London Road and the Islington carriageway.
History of the stalled site
The planning proposal was first submitted to Liverpool City Council in 2018, but the original developer stopped preparatory work five years ago, and the land has lain vacant ever since, becoming one of the city's most prominent stalled developments.
In 2017, YPG Group revealed plans to build several apartment blocks on Gildart Street in Islington's Fabric District. The scheme, then called the Fabric Village, stalled in 2021 when two companies within the YPG Group - YPG Investar Islington House Ltd and YPG Fabric Residence Ltd - went into administration.
New ownership and progress
The YPG-affiliated company tasked with developing the Gildart Street site was rescued from administration in 2023, and acquired by Mellior Group, according to a report at the time by Place North West.
Over the course of the last three years, little has changed at one side of the site, except for the installation of new advertisement hoardings. However, significant changes were made to the other side of the designated land last year, when an old glass and glazing warehouse was finally demolished as part of the original plans.
Additionally, when the Liverpool ECHO visited the area during the summer, some clearance works had also taken place and prompted us to reach out to the new owners and ask for an update on the project.
Developer's vision for Abbey Row
The new developer is London-based investor Bentry Capital, which incorporated Mellior Group as its in-house construction arm in late 2025. This newly created corporate and development vehicle hopes to deliver more than 1,000 new homes in Liverpool, and other locations across the country, in the next two years.
Gateway 2 approval has now been secured for the site, and work begins this month on delivering the 241 new homes which will make up Abbey Row.
Marketing director David Ronson said: "We were fully aware of the site’s history and the responsibility that came with taking it on. However, we also recognised its underlying potential and the importance of its location.
"Our approach was not simply to relaunch the previous development. We carefully reassessed the design, delivery strategy and residential proposition to create a scheme that is both deliverable and relevant to Liverpool today.
"Securing Gateway 2 is an important milestone because it demonstrates that the project has moved beyond repositioning and into delivery."
Bentry Capital's marketing associate, Francesca Davies added: "For Abbey Row, that meant looking closely at Liverpool’s character, confidence and sense of community, as well as the development’s position at a key gateway into the Knowledge Quarter.
"The site needed more than a new name or a cosmetic relaunch. It required a clear identity, a renewed sense of purpose and a residential proposition that felt genuinely rooted in Liverpool."
Mr Ronson continued: "A key part of Abbey Row is creating a development that reflects how people actually live today, with a strong mix of amenity, work and social spaces.
"Co-working areas, landscaped communal spaces, rooftop terraces, a residents’ gym, private cinema, concierge and ground-floor retail are designed to give residents a genuine sense of convenience and community within the development."
