Liverpool's first 'billion-pound' development scheme could be a game-changer for the city on a par with Liverpool One, according to insiders. Ambitious blueprints have been tabled for a high-rise complex on the fringes of Liverpool city centre, a move that civic leaders reckon could mark a turning point for the entire city.
The King Edward Triangle project could potentially bring up to 2,000 residential units spread across several towering skyscrapers. The triangle is currently home to a handful of businesses, but Peel, the former landowner through its Liverpool Waters venture, sold it to KEIE Limited last April.
This came after Liverpool City Council greenlit a £1.5m deal to lift a covenant on the Gibraltar Row site, paving the way for skyscraper construction.
KEIE Limited, a subsidiary of the TJ Morris group which also owns Home Bargains, will join forces on the project with Hugh Frost, the brains behind the Beetham Organisation that erected the 40-storey West Tower in the city centre.
While no formal plans have been lodged yet, those orchestrating the proposals have vowed to incorporate the city's debut five-star hotel within a 60-storey tower set to become Liverpool's loftiest structure. As it stands, Liverpool doesn't boast a hotel with a five-star rating from AA's industry-recognised ratings, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Talking about the plans with the ECHO, Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool Council's cabinet member for Growth and Economy, underscored just how monumental this project could be for both the city centre and Liverpool as a whole.
He stated: "What we have got with the King Edward Triangle is a London-scale development in Liverpool. It is the first billion pound development scheme in Liverpool.
"It is residential-led, there is the potential to do about 2,000 housing units. This is about looking at how we get good quality, long-term investment in Liverpool.
"You look at someone like TJ Morris, they are looking at putting their wealth back into Liverpool, they will have a long term perspective on this, they are not in it for short-term gain and that's really important.

"It is similar to what happened with Liverpool One and Grosvenor which made Liverpool One as good as it was, it wasn't about short termism.
"It is also about having a five star hotel in Liverpool and some of the operators looking are big names, serious players that we need in this city."
When quizzed about where the King Edward development could stand in comparison to past constructions in the city, Cllr Small responded: "I would rate it right up there with Liverpool One in terms of what it could do to Liverpool both in terms of social policy for that part of the city but also for Liverpool as a brand. It is absolutely huge.
"The hotels, the leisure element, having an attraction of bringing people there is really important, it will be inclusive."
Cllr Small revealed that proposals are in the pipeline to revamp the road layout surrounding the vicinity. He elaborated: "One of the things that is challenging from an architectural perspective, it is on an island, with The Strand at one side, Bath Street on the other side - how do you open this up and get round connectivity issues?".
"Some of the things being talked about are really exciting, really innovative and could take this to a to a completely different level."