St George's Gateway
In the heart of the city centre, St George's Gateway is an area rich in history, culture and architectural grandeur, presenting a majestic arrival point to Liverpool.
Together with a consultant team, Liverpool City Council is producing a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to guide regeneration in the area, and to facilitate sustainable growth which benefits the city's economy and its residents. To help us shape the SPD, we’re seeking to engage with the people of Liverpool and visitors to the city to let us know what you value in the area and how you wish to see it transform.
St George's Gateway is home to some of our most well-known cultural venues and public spaces. This includes the World Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Central Library, St John's Gardens, and St George's Hall and Plateau. Nearby there is also Liverpool John Moores University's City Campus alongside the residential areas of Marybone and around St Anne’s. Following the removal of the flyover, there are opportunities to improve the area and enhance its role as a gateway to the city.
We’d like to know what you value in the area and would love to hear your thoughts and aspirations to help shape the priorities, focus and change within the St George’s Gateway area. The Council is encouraging responses from all groups that may be affected by the proposals, whether that’s local residents, businesses or students who live/work/study within the area, visitors to the city, and interested members of the public.
Public engagement activities for St George's Gateway SPD will run until Thursday 7th August 2025
Indicative Area
Aims of the SPD
- To maintain, shape and improve the potential of the public realm and support the diverse range of functions, experiences and activities within the area, including culture, commerce, education, movement, housing and community life.
- To protect and enhance the surrounding environment and its assets, create socially and commercially attractive places, and ensure that designs are informed by the local context.
- To propose ways to improve connectivity across the area and with adjacent neighbourhoods through safe, green and easy-to-use streets and routes which promote active travel and bring life to the area.
- To ensure that high-quality public realm is implemented as part of any new development, regeneration and street renewal.
- To promote a landscape and place-led approach to regeneration, seeking to create a framework for well-designed, sustainable, and beautiful places where people of all ages want to live, play, work, and spend time.
Objectives of the SPD
- Enhance public spaces - suggest ways to improve streets and routes making them easier to navigate, safer, and attractive, including ways to improve the links between North Liverpool and the city centre.
- Propose sustainable transport improvements - suggesting practical and achievable ways to promote walking, cycling, and other forms of active travel.
- Expand green spaces; improve biodiversity, green and blue infrastructure to reduce the impacts of climate change and improve the appearance and enjoyment of the area.
- Bring new life to unused buildings - propose creative ideas for the reuse of empty or neglected buildings into functional and valuable spaces, boosting regeneration and the local economy.
- Unlock the potential of development sites - identify opportunities and provide a framework to unlock sites for development and make better use of land and buildings, including the creation of spaces that enhance community life and improve the overall quality of the area.
- Develop clear design criteria - create guidance that reflects the unique character of each area, ensuring new developments fit well into their surroundings and contribute positively to the local identity.
Project Steps
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Timeline item 1 - complete
Listening and Learning
This stage is all about learning about the area from the community, but also in more technical ways like economic analysis. This stage includes online engagement, community and stakeholder workshops, youth workshops, walking activities, and popping-up in the area to chat with people.
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Timeline item 2 - active
Drafting the Framework
We'll spend some time using all the information we've collected in the previous stage to draft the St George's Gateway Supplementary Planning Document.
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Timeline item 3 - incomplete
Public Consultation
At this stage, you will be able to provide feedback on the draft St George's Gateway Supplementary Planning Document.
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Timeline item 4 - incomplete
Adoption
At this stage, Liverpool City Council will submit the final version of the document to your local councillors to vote on. If approved by councillors then the document would become a formal part of planning decision making in Liverpool.
Meet the Team
Project Partners
- Liverpool City Council
- Liverpool John Moores University
- National Museums Liverpool
Consultant Team
- LDA Design (Project Lead, , Urban Design & Landscape Design)
- PLACED (Public Engagement)
- Haworth Tompkins (Architecture & Heritage)
- Aspinall Verdi (Development and Investment Viability)
- WSP (Transport Planning and Drainage)
- Pegasus Group (Town Planning)
- Hatch (Place Economics and Social Value)
How could the St George's Gateway area be improved in the future?
We'd like to hear your ideas and aspirations for the area in the future. This could be specific changes you would like to see or a more general description about the future of the area.
7 August, 2025
Anonymous says:
Sort out that roundabout by the tunnel!
7 August, 2025
Anonymous says:
Green & biodiverse & water features for people and wildlife, for a cool (temperature) and pleasant environment.
1 August, 2025
Anonymous says:
Something needs to be done about the Tunnel and the other roads Byrom and Hunter Street. The Tunnel should be only for public transport only
28 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
If you pedestrianise this stretch, how will tourists and school trips access this location?
24 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
Plant more trees along William Brown St to provide shade and rain cover to pedestrians visiting the cultural landmarks.
24 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
A more pedestrian/cycle friendly roundabout at tunnel entrance to make the area less stressful and better connected to Lime St cycle lanes.
24 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
Block motor vehicles from driving and parking on St George's Plateau, near the cenotaph and Victoria/Albert equestrian statues.
24 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
Shield the pedestrianised areas from the unsightly scourge of motor traffic emanating from the Queensway tunnel by planting hedges and trees
24 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
the green spaces/St John gardens need investment and vision they are currently no go areas and should be a desirable place to spend time
21 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
An interactive art/science/health instalment to encourage locals and tourists alike to find joy & create conversations. Nearby LJMU collab.
20 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
The traffic lights need to last longer so that departing buses from Queen Square Bus Station will be on time for other stations.
20 July, 2025
Anonymous says:
Reduce the vast area inefficiently used by motor traffic, allow more space for buildings to increase population in Scot Rd/hunter st area

This website is run by PLACED as part of the public engagement for St George's Gateway SPD
To find out more about us, head over to placed.org.uk