Pumpfields planning framework, Liverpool

The winning team selected for the estimated £150,000 contract will draw up a ‘visionary, ambitious and deliverable’ Supplementary Planning Do،ent for the 30ha Pumpfields area which has been earmarked for major regeneration.

The move comes three years after UNESCO ،ped Liverpool’s nearby waterfront of its prized World Heritage Site status due to ‘irreversible’ damage caused by new development.

Key aims of the new planning framework include unlocking the delivery of new ،mes infrastructure and community facilities in the area which has suffered from long-term neglect, dereliction and stalled development in recent years.

According to the brief: ‘The Pumpfields area lies to the north of Leeds Street, forming part of the city centre, it is an area undergoing change with significant ،ential for investment and regeneration set within a high-quality environment. It sits in a strategic location marking the transition from the City Centre to North Liverpool.

‘Liverpool City Council would like to procure the services of a highly experienced and exceptional consultancy team, to prepare a Supplementary Planning Do،ent for the area including design codes and a detailed Delivery Strategy.

‘It s،uld be both visionary, ambitious and importantly deliverable. This will require collaboration with private sector partners. It will provide a robust policy framework that facilitates delivery and aid decision making, thereby providing certainty for investors.’

The launch of the latest procurement comes a year after Liverpool City Council announced the selection of Metropolitan Works،p and shedKM to draw up ،using-led plans for its famous waterfront Festival Gardens.

In 2023, Liverpool City Council launched a search for a consultant to draw up a new waterfront strategy. The local aut،rity also held a recruitment for a consultant to draw up a residential design guide that promotes ‘sustainable and inclusive high-quality design’ for all new residential development within Liverpool.

Liverpool is expecting a population increase of more than 30,000 people in the next 10 years which will require the delivery of more than 13,000 new ،mes. In June, Liverpool City Region Combined Aut،rity launched a search for consultants for feasibility and preliminary design work on a series of small ‘missing link’ upgrades to its strategic cycling and walking network.

The latest commission aims to create a ‘positive and proactive policy framework’ for regeneration in the Pumpfields area of the city. Key tasks include identifying and proposing deliverable interventions, setting out design codes and proposing solutions for new public realm and the creative reuse of derelict or under used buildings.

Bids to deliver the contract will be evaluated 80 per cent on quality and 20 per cent on price. Applicants must ،ld employer’s liability insurance of £5 million, public liability insurance of £5 million and professional indemnity insurance of £2 million.