Flats plan for derelict site approved

A plan for an apartment block has been approved despite concerns raised by a local councillor about other projects linked to the developer.

Developer SGL4 Ltd plans to build up to 30 apartments on an old storage yard on Richmond Row in Everton, Liverpool.

A local councillor objected to the plan, saying the firm was linked to others behind "sites that are either not yet developed out, have major problems with building standards and planning conditions".

But Liverpool City Council planning officers recommended the application be approved.

The developer wanted permission to demolish the walls around the site and build a five-storey apartment block.

Jane Corbett, the Everton councillor opposing the bid, said she was concerned that the development might be funded through a "fractional sales" model, where investors buy off-plan to fund the development process.

Such schemes have been the subject of significant controversy in the city, and in 2021, then-chief executive of the council Tony Reeves said the authority would no longer sell land to developers who could not prove they could finance schemes themselves.

In her objection to the proposal, Corbett said fractional sales were used to develop the nearby Fox Street Village plan, which was developed by a linked company and destroyed in fire in January 2024 before being completed.

Corbett said: "It seems the council holds an interest in Richmond Row land/site… there is a risk [the company] will look to use fractional investment or similar for this site also."

The application received one other objection, about potential overlooking of other buildings.

Planning officers recommended the application be approved, but made no mention in the report about whether the council had any stake in the land itself.

The report said the "overall design is considered appropriate for the site and would offer future residents reasonable living condition, along with the opportunity to live in a sustainable location close to the city centre with good access to many facilities including good transport link".

The developers will be required to pay about £90,000 towards costs and investment in local improvements such as trees, parking, and cycling facilities.

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