Building work at Liverpool Waters, one of Europe’s largest redevelopment projects, is officially underway after a ground-breaking ceremony for Plaza 1821 marked the beginning of a wave of construction work at Princes Dock.

Plaza 1821 is a £21 million, sixteen-storey residential tower which will house 105 one and two bedroom apartments. The building will also have dedicated amenity space on the ground floor.

Plaza 1821 is a PRS (Private Rented Sector) development by Peel Land and Property on behalf of The Regenda Group. North West based construction firm Forrest, has been appointed as the construction partner for the project. Once complete, Plaza 1821 will be owned and managed by Redwing Living, a subsidiary of Regenda.

The new development will be the first building to be constructed since Peel unveiled its vision for the 60-hectare Liverpool Waters site just over a decade ago. Two other buildings, Your Housing Group’s Hive City Docks and Moda Living’s The Lexington, are also due to begin construction at Princes Dock in the near future.

The news is the latest in a series of major announcements regarding the £5 billion Liverpool Waters development as the project moves into its delivery phase. Last year saw the revised masterplan for Central Dock unveiled, significant progress on plans for the new Liverpool Cruise and Isle of Man ferry terminals, planning permission being granted for the first development at Central Dock and Everton Football Club exchanging contracts with Liverpool Waters to make Bramley-Moore Dock the club’s new home as they finalise plans to leave Goodison Park.

Lindsey Ashworth, development director at Liverpool Waters said:

“2017 was a breakthrough year for Liverpool Waters so it is fitting that the first building work now starts this new year. 2018 will be a significant year for the project and Plaza 1821 marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter here and we are looking forward to seeing our vision for Liverpool Waters becoming a reality.”

Neil Baumber, development director for residential at Peel Land and Property, said:

“This is the first PRS development that Peel Land and Property has developed and it is great to have Regenda and Forrest as our partners on this project. We are all focussed on expanding the residential offering available at Liverpool Waterfront and delivering a quality development that is in keeping with this prime location.”

Fiona Coventry, managing director of Redwing Living, said:

“We’re really excited to see work begin on Plaza 1821, which is a flagship development for the Regenda Group and Redwing Living, and part of our ambitious plans for the Liverpool City Region. Plaza 1821 will offer beautiful and spacious apartments in a highly sought after location, with views over the River Mersey and back across the city. Liverpool Waters is a spectacular project, and we are rightly proud to be involved.”

Mark Nicholson, CEO at Forrest said:

“Commencing work on creating this high quality residential development on such a prestigious site as Liverpool Waters is a truly exciting opportunity for us. The culmination of six months working collaboratively with Peel Land and Property and the design team to reach this stage is a credit to all involved and the ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of the much-anticipated construction phase.”