Liverpool City Council has released an early draft of its new Local Plan, outlining a strategy to build 30,000 new homes and create 7.4 million square feet of employment space by 2041. The ambitious 15-year vision is now open for public consultation, with the council seeking feedback on its proposals for the city's future development.
The 211-page document also highlights a significant shift towards family housing and specialist accommodation to meet the needs of a changing population. However, planning experts have raised initial concerns about the plan's viability and its timing in relation to wider regional strategy.
Key Takeaways
- Liverpool City Council has drafted a new Local Plan targeting 30,000 new homes by 2041.
- The plan also aims to deliver 7.4 million square feet of new employment space over 15 years.
- A key policy requires 20-30% of new developments to be three-bedroom family homes.
- Industry experts have raised concerns about the financial viability of these targets and the plan's reliance on large-scale regeneration sites.
- A public consultation on the draft plan and a 'call for sites' are now underway.
Core Ambitions of Liverpool's New Local Plan
Liverpool City Council has set out its development framework for the next 15 years in a comprehensive draft Local Plan. The central goal is the delivery of 30,000 new homes across the city by the year 2041. This target is designed to address current and future housing needs for a growing population.
Alongside the housing target, the plan includes a provision for 7.4 million square feet of new employment space. This allocation is intended to support economic growth, create jobs, and ensure Liverpool remains a competitive business location.
According to the draft document, the council has currently identified enough land to deliver approximately 10,000 of the required 30,000 homes. The plan also acknowledges that there are "existing commitments" for another 18,000 homes. These commitments include projects that already have planning permission or are in the pre-application stage, such as the major redevelopment planned for the Festival Gardens site.
Liverpool's Housing Pipeline
- Total Goal (by 2041): 30,000 homes
- Allocated Land: Sufficient for 10,000 homes
- Existing Commitments: 18,000 homes (including projects with planning permission)
A Focus on Family and Specialist Housing
The new plan is informed by a fresh Strategic Housing Market Needs Assessment (SHMNA), which identified a critical need to deliver and retain more family-sized homes within Liverpool. In response, the draft plan introduces a significant policy change aimed at rebalancing the city's housing stock.
The policy proposes that 20% of all new homes built across the city should be three-bedroom properties. This requirement increases to 30% for developments in the city centre and its surrounding fringe areas, which have historically been dominated by smaller apartments.
Meeting the Needs of an Ageing Population
The draft plan also places a strong emphasis on providing more specialist accommodation. This is driven by demographic projections which show a significant increase in the number of older residents and individuals with specific care needs over the plan's lifetime.
The document highlights stark figures to support this policy focus. Between now and 2041, Liverpool's population is expected to see:
- A 36% increase in the number of people living with dementia.
- A 31% increase in the number of people with mobility problems.
These projections underscore the urgent need for more accessible homes, retirement living options, and supported accommodation to ensure residents can live independently and safely in their communities.
Industry Experts Raise Viability and Timing Concerns
While the plan's ambitions have been noted, planning and development professionals have voiced early concerns about its practical delivery. Key issues raised include the financial viability of the new housing mix requirements and the overall strategy for land allocation.
Nick Lee, founder of NJL Consulting, commented on what he sees as a potential imbalance in the plan's approach. He expressed concern about an "over-reliance on large-scale windfall sites," which are sites not specifically allocated in the plan but are expected to become available for development.
"I have concerns that there is an imbalance at the moment with over-reliance on large-scale windfall sites, which in viability terms will not deliver affordable homes, nor family homes, without significant public funding support," stated Lee.
He suggested that meeting the city's diverse housing needs will be a major challenge and that the council may need to consider releasing some green belt land to supplement its brownfield-first regeneration strategy. He also cautioned against setting financial contribution requirements (s106) so high that they make development unviable.
What is a Local Plan?
A Local Plan is a crucial document created by a local authority that sets out the vision and framework for future development in the area. It designates where new housing, businesses, and infrastructure should go, and outlines the policies used to make decisions on planning applications. It is a legal requirement for councils to have an up-to-date Local Plan.
Questions Over Regional Strategy Alignment
The timing of the plan's release has also drawn comment. Ian Ford, a director at Pegasus Group, described the timing as "interesting," noting that it has been published before all of its supporting evidence has been made public.
More significantly, he pointed out that the plan precedes the much-anticipated Liverpool City Region Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), a higher-level plan for the entire region.
"The SDS should be leading the way for local plans to follow in order to deliver the strategic objectives of the city-region as a whole," Ford explained. "Another local plan coming before the SDS will clearly fail to achieve this."
Ford echoed concerns about viability, particularly regarding the "ambitious policies around housing tenure mix and design quality." He stressed that these policies could face challenges from developers who are already dealing with difficult market conditions. He concluded that "early engagement from all stakeholders will be crucial to ensure the local plan remains both aspirational and achievable."
Public Invited to Shape Liverpool's Future
Liverpool City Council has now launched a formal public consultation to gather feedback on the draft proposals. Residents, businesses, and community groups are encouraged to review the 211-page document and submit their comments on the city's direction for the next 15 years.
In parallel with the policy consultation, the council is also running a 'call for sites.' This is an open invitation for landowners, developers, and the public to suggest specific plots of land that they believe are suitable for future development, whether for housing or employment use.
This early-stage feedback will be used by council planners to refine the proposals before a more formal draft is prepared and submitted for independent examination. The consultation represents a key opportunity for the public to influence the policies that will shape where and how Liverpool grows in the coming decades.