Paradise Street, Site 8, Liverpool

Client / Grosvenor

A new public space linking two premier shopping districts in the centre of Liverpool.

The brief / Grosvenor commissioned Greig & Stephenson to create a new public space called Keys Court, which will form a new pedestrian route in Liverpool city centre. The route is planned to connect the busy and animated Church Street to the new Paradise Street development. It will provide a vital link to the bus station, car park and new John Lewis store to the south, and the already established busy city centre to the north.

The context / The project is part of the massive Liverpool One programme, created by Grosvenor and its investment partners and being developed by the Paradise Street Development Area Project (PSDA). The PSDA is a 42-acre site that will eventually be home to a range of entertainment, leisure, residential and commercial facilities.

What we did / We cut through an existing building to create a double height covered courtyard with a series of glass roofs. The trading footprint of the Arcadia unit, made up of Top Shop and Top Man stores was maximised and the units reorganised so they can trade at basement, ground and first floor levels. Windows through to the Arcadia unit run the length of the courtyard. A pavilion within the court will provide a café at first floor level, and two retail units on the ground floor. We have also cleaned and remodelled the neo-classical Church Street façade, to create the new pedestrian entrance.

Impact / Keys Court now connects two prestigious retail areas in the city centre, improving customer flow and enabling the developer and traders to maximise potential benefits of the Liverpool One developments. The retail units are due to open early in 2009.