A row has broken out over the King’s project which is set to transform Liverpool’s skyline
00:01, 12 Apr 2026
How the tower could look in the city centre(Image: T. J. Morris Ltd and Beetham Limited)
A row has erupted over a £1bn development on the waterfront that would see Liverpool’s tallest building being built. One member of Liverpool City Council’s planning committee said “all we seem to build in Liverpool is brown shoeboxes”, while others accused detractors of “driving away investment and repeating the mistakes of the 1980s.”
Last month, the council approved plans for the first phase of the King’s project, a 28-storey tower, to be built at the King Edward Triangle close to Princes Dock at the northern fringe of the city centre. Proposals for the development include a huge 70-storey tower, dwarfing Liverpool’s West Tower, the tallest completed structure in the city at 40 storeys.
The tower would include a 5-star hotel across the first 23 floors and luxury residences managed by the hotel operator. The Kings project is one of 10 buildings anticipated in the emerging masterplan for the site, which will go out to public consultation later this spring, before an expected planning submission in late summer.
But some city planners have voiced their opposition to the plans. Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Moloney told the ECHO: “We are repeating and compounding the mistakes made in the 1960s and 70s. If people cannot afford to live in these new flats, a high percentage will simply sit empty. They may meet government targets for additional accommodation, but the strategy is not well thought out.”
‘It hides the architectural gems of the city’
Cllr Moloney added: “While the ‘Right to Buy’ was a clever scheme at the time, in the long term, it has reduced the availability and standard of housing that most people can afford. The only way to house less affluent people is through proper social housing.”
How the tower could look in the city centre(Image: UGC)
At the meeting in February, planning officers acknowledged that while there were some clashes with existing policy, it was deemed the harms were outweighed by public benefits. This included the lack of any affordable housing provision.
Cllr Moloney added: “These kinds of developments are a large reason why Liverpool lost its UNESCO World Heritage status. The strategy seems to be ‘build them high, sell them high,’ but the effect on the skyline is not advantageous. It hides the architectural gems of the city.”
‘The most exciting thing since Liverpool One’
Cllr Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy, described the development as “the most exciting thing that’s happened to Liverpool since Liverpool One” and accused Cllr Moloney of “driving away investment and making the mistakes of Liverpool in the 1980s”.
He said: “I think it beggars belief that we’ve got this level of narrow-mindedness that would take our city backwards. This sends out all the wrong messages and shows that the Lib Dems are not fit to run this city. They’re not open for business and they’re not going to bring investment into Liverpool.
“I’ve been a councillor representing the city centre for 22 years now. I’ve seen the city centre grow and more people living there. If you build new homes, you’re going to increase footfall and create a business case for more shops and retail.
Cllr Nick Small(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“We’re seeing that all across the city centre. It is about creating amenities like GP surgeries and schools. It’s about creating new communities, but you’ve got to start somewhere with the homes and actually getting them built, and that’s what this administration is doing.”
The council has set a target of 20% of new homes being affordable and social housing. “We’re delivering on that,” said Cllr Small, adding: “We absolutely want to see affordable and social homes on that King’s development and they will come forward over time. We also have to create a range of different homes. We should be looking at having aspirational homes in Liverpool.”
‘All we seem to build in Liverpool is brown shoeboxes’
Liberal councillor Billy Lake also opposed the first 28-storey tower. Cllr Lake said: “I’m quite infamous for calling these brown boxes because that’s what they are. They have no architectural features whatsoever. All we seem to build in Liverpool is brown shoeboxes.
“Take a walk down Castle Street and every single building is different. That is why this city has more listed buildings than any city other than London.
“I worry about the heritage we are leaving for our grandchildren and those that come after them. I think of the proud heritage we have in this city, the listed buildings. Here we are, a couple of hundred yards from one of the most iconic waterfronts in the world, and we’re building these massive towers, these huge brown boxes.”
Cllr Small described the King Edward Triangle as a “light industrial estate full of sheds, and has absolutely no heritage value whatsoever,” adding: “What we’re seeing is high-quality, good architecture and that’s something we should encourage.”
He added: “Frankly, some of the criticism we’ve seen from the likes of Billy Lake has just been ‘I don’t like it.’ If you’ve got a Boomer saying ‘I don’t like it,’ you’ve got to do better than that. This has got to be about good quality architecture and the criticisms need to be more than that.”
Last week, the ECHO reported on the ‘perfect storm’ causing Liverpool’s flat market decline, with some apartments within the last generation of luxury towers built in the 2000s losing more than 65% of their value. In one such building, the Beetham Tower on Old Hall Street, a stone’s throw from the King Edward Triangle and once Liverpool’s tallest building, 39 of 64 flats resold since 2004 have lost value, with five sold for £100,000 less than their initial purchase price.
It is understood that the Kings project will follow a different economic model, with the towers financed by pension funds and the individual flats rented to tenants rather than sold on long-term leases.
‘All ships float on a rising tide’
Hugh Frost(Image: Beetham Davos)
Hugh Frost, chairman of Kings project developers Beetham Davos, said: “We see the potential in our home city to bring new occupiers and operators here to benefit from everything we have to offer. Cities are dynamic places and need constantly to change and evolve. A project like Kings provides the platform for staying relevant and competitive.
“The scale and drama of our proposals are part of the message: Liverpool is a city with ambition and confidence, and which should always be part of the conversation. And as with Liverpool One, Kings will reinforce our competitiveness at a regional level, extending Liverpool’s catchment area and bringing additional spending power to the city.
“Liverpool’s appeal goes further, of course. It is a genuinely global brand, with the potential to draw in new investment and new employers from around the world. When the decision-makers in those businesses look at Liverpool, they need to see that it has something to offer them and their employees. World class office space, a range of homes, and the environment that their people will want to spend time in are all critical considerations. Kings has a part to play in all of that.
“There’s something for everyone in Kings, from the construction and supply chain jobs as it is built to the range of homes that will be available, and on to the long-term employment opportunities it will generate as occupiers sign up. And let’s not forget the huge boost this will give to the city’s rates income, money that the local authority can invest in vital public services.
“They say all ships float on a rising tide and we have every confidence that our scheme can deliver for everyone in Liverpool.”