Regeneration specialist St. Modwen has started construction work on the £150 million regeneration scheme ‘Project Jennifer’ on Great Homer Street in Liverpool.
The transformation of Great Homer Street will bring a new supermarket, district centre, homes and improved public spaces to North Liverpool.
Sainsbury’s has appointed building and civil engineering contractors McLaughlin & Harvey to build the new 67,000 sq ft supermarket and started on site at the end of September.
St. Modwen has appointed Caddick Construction to develop the new district centre and work will get underway in the coming weeks.
Project Jennifer, which is being delivered by St. Modwen in partnership with Liverpool City Council and Sainsbury’s, will create more than 1,000 jobs in the North Liverpool Mayoral Development Zone.
As well as a new Sainsbury’s store, this major regeneration project will bring 80,000 sq ft of retail space, 900 free customer car parking spaces, a petrol filling station, and a McDonald’s restaurant.
Major road improvements have been made, including a new junction linking Scotland Road to Great Homer Street and there will be improved links to Everton Park. The new ‘Greatie’ market facility formed an earlier phase of the scheme and opened its doors in 2014. There have been 102 new homes built, including 81 apartments specifically designed for the over 55s.
Paul Batho, Projects Director at St. Modwen, said: “The commencement of construction work of the new Sainsbury’s and the district centre is a major milestone in the delivery of the regeneration of Great Homer Street and begins the countdown to project completion next year. There is a substantial investment being made in this part of the city and, when complete, Sainsbury’s and the new District Centre will boost the local economy bringing much needed jobs and vibrancy to this important part of the city.”
Nick Alston, Sainsbury’s Project Manager overseeing the build of the store, said: “This scheme has been a long time in the making and we’re delighted to be on site building our Great Homer Street store. As a large supermarket, once complete, it will provide over 220 new local jobs, and will offer the local community a great range of both food and general merchandise on their doorstep.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, said: ‘’Project Jennifer has been a keystone development that I was so keen to get underway as it had been delayed for many reasons and over a number of years. The project underlines what can be achieved when the public and private sector work together. This new investment, the new jobs and the new houses will all breathe new life into the community and will act as a vital catalyst in the wider regeneration of north Liverpool. I’m delighted to see the work has begun and much like the work in nearby Anfield look forward to its completion.’’
To mark the milestone, St. Modwen and Sainsbury’s joined the Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson and Cabinet Member for Regeneration Cllr Malcolm Kennedy on site for a celebration to mark the official start of the construction phase of this popular project.
They were also joined by Beth Allen, a Year 9 student at Notre Dame Catholic College, who is the North West regional winner of a photography competition to celebrate the 30th anniversary of St. Modwen. In the competition Beth visited the Great Homer Street site and was asked to capture the theme of place making through the medium of photography – exploring what community, architecture or urban design means to them. She has now gone through to the national final.
Mr Batho added: “Project Jennifer has been made possible due to a fantastic collaboration between partners underpinned by the community spirit, support and involvement of so many people from the local area. Now construction work is underway we will quickly see the huge transformation of Great Homer Street taking place.”
St. Modwen and Sainsbury’s will now progress with the build of the new supermarket and district centre, which are due to open in May 2017. Later this year, the new link road ‘Jennifer Avenue’ will also open to the public.
