New £100m Merseyrail train station for Liverpool is approved
Liverpool Council's planning committee has given the green light to proposals to construct the new station on the edge of the city centre in the Baltic Triangle district. The station plans were formally submitted to the local authority by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority last November.
The station will be created by redeveloping the disused former St James Station, which lies below the Baltic Triangle - an area of creative businesses and residential buildings that lies between the city centre and the south of the city.
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The application site involves an existing cutting to the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, located midway between Liverpool Central Station and Brunswick Station, where an underground train station once stood but was closed in 1917 during the First World War.
With plans approved today, it is hoped that work could begin on the construction of the new station as early as the end of this year. Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, who first announced the station plan in 2022, hopes passengers will be able to use the new station by late 2027.
It is hoped development of the station could support hundreds of jobs and deliver 17,000 journeys per day once open. Last September, members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority approved £96m of funding for the project.
The new station - Liverpool Baltic - will be made up of an overground single-storey building with a tall wraparound parapet, a mezzanine level, new widened underground platforms and four lift/emergency exit shafts. The station's ticket lobby and staff facilities would be located at ground floor level.
The proposed development is envisioned by the Combined Authority as a 'modern, accessible transport hub of civic importance, significantly contributing to the revitalisation of the Baltic Triangle neighbourhood and surrounding areas.' The construction phase is projected to generate around 330 jobs at a region level with £155m in benefits over a 60-year period upon completion.
At Liverpool Town Hall on Tuesday, councillors on the planning committee said they welcomed the plans for the new station, although concerns were raised about the impact in terms of parking for local residents and businesses.
One business that says it will go out of operation with the plans in their current form is Ashwell Motors - a garage which has been based in Ashwell Street close to the site of the planned new station for 40 years because of the impact on customer parking.
Speaking through a representative at the meeting, owner Paul Garrett said: "After 40 years of hard work, employing local people and being proud of my city, I am distraught that no workable solution has been found. This decision will result in the catastrophic collapse of a 40-year business."
Councillors expressed concerns about the impact on parking in the areas around the new station and were told by highways officers that while a residents' parking scheme is not considered necessary at the moment in the area, this could be changed once the station is operational and problems are raised. The Combined Authority says it is open to looking at such schemes in the future.
The plans for the new Liverpool Baltic Station were unanimously passed by councillors on the committee. Speaking after the permission was granted, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said: "Planning permission was another major milestone for the Liverpool Baltic station scheme and I'm delighted we are now passed that and ready to get work underway.
"This is another step in our vision to build a fully integrated London-style transport system. We're extending Merseyrail to more communities with future stations already planned in Daresbury, Woodchurch and Carr Mill. I believe good quality public transport is a right, not a privilege.
"For decades there were no new stations built on our network, so this is another major milestone in the development of the expansion of rail services in our region. It's not just about improving connectivity – it's about creating new opportunities, connecting our communities to jobs, education, and each other, and contributing to a healthier, greener Liverpool City Region.
'Investing almost £100 million at the heart of one of the UK's most vibrant areas, will help to make this part of the city more accessible to all while easing congestion and helping us achieve our net-zero targets."
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