Plans for the repurposing of the former Liverpool flagship department store of Debenhams which will see the implementation of a go-karting kart have been approved.
The plans were approved with Liverpool City Council planning committee voting seven to one in favour of accepting the proposals that will see the location split into retail on the lower and upper ground levels, and leisure components on the first and second flowers.
Liverpool ONE owner, Grosvenor is behind the scheme and tenancy agreements are yet to be confirmed with negotiations currently under way with a retailer and a go-karting operator.
Concerns were raised by Cllr Pat Maloney over noise issues from the karting operation, also querying whether the vehicles would be powered by internal combustion or electric means. Avision Young, Grosvenor’s agent, confirmed that the karts would be electric and a noise condition has been written into the application.
Speaking of the ever-changing retail and leisure industry post-pandemic, Committee Chair, Cllr Tony Concepcion, said: “We don’t want that building to remain empty and vacant. We live in a different world now post-pandemic and the way people shop is changing.”
