Former Merseyside Police HQ in Liverpool to be transformed into multi-million pound development comprising new homes, a hotel, retail, leisure and commercial space. Tony McDonough reports

Government housing and regeneration agency Homes England has been named as the preferred bidder for the former Merseyside Police Canning Place HQ in Liverpool city centre.

Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Emily Spurrell says the agency has proposed plans for the 2.64-acre site that will see a multimillion pound development to include new homes, a hotel, retail, leisure and commercial space.

In 2024 Ms Spurrell tasked consultancy and construction firm Mace Consult and commercial property estate agents Colliers to to assist with the marketing and disposal of the property.

Canning Place and its 135,000 sq ft building, was the nerve centre of the force for more than 40 years. In 2021, the force saw the completion of its new £48m HQ at Rose Hill just outside the city centre.

After nine weeks on the open market and following a “thorough and considered” selection process of the bids received, the PCC has confirmed that she is commencing the legal process of selling the site to Homes England. There were 13 bids received.

Money recouped from the sale of Canning Place will be reinvested into modernising and updating Merseyside Police’s stations and buildings to ensure officers and staff are in the right places and best equipped to serve communities across the region.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, working with the Merseyside Police estates team, will now work with Homes England through the final stages of due diligence and site master-planning with Historic England and Liverpool City Council.

The aim is to exchange contracts this year and once the sale is completed, Homes England will look to select a development partner and secure planning consent from Liverpool City Council to manage and deliver the vision for the scheme.

All the bids submitted provided proposals for the site based on nine criteria, including the value of the tender, the quality of the design, social value, the experience and strength of the team delivering the development and environmental and sustainability considerations.

Ms Spurrell said: “Following extensive marketing and a very robust evaluation and selection process, I am pleased to announce that Homes England is the preferred bidder for our high-profile site at Canning Place.

“All the bidders received an extensive pack of information advising them of the results of my consultation with local people, businesses and stakeholders and the planning requirements for such an iconic and important site.

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“Homes England submitted the bid which provided best value meaning I will now be proceeding with the legal process to sell the site to them.

“We are already saving approximately £550,000 a year on the running costs of our new headquarters, Rose Hill, compared to Canning Place. This is money which is put straight back into the frontline.

Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Homes England, added: “Canning Place is a historic site in a prime location on Liverpool’s iconic waterfront. The acquisition of the former Merseyside Police headquarters would present a unique opportunity for Homes England to add to the significant legacy of regeneration in the area.”