Plans to convert the building into a hotel were approved nearly three years ago
Hanover Street’s Gostins Building is currently boarded up but it once was home to an alternative shopping centre. The eight-story building was built for surgical goods company Aryton & Saunders Co Ltd in the early 20th century but it has sat empty since 2018.
Most recently it was home to Gostins, a shopping arcade made up of a number of independent retailers – including Bluecoat Books, Laura Jane Millinery, Stigma Tattoo Studio and several others. In 2017 the ECHO went inside to speak with a number of the retailers working in the building.
Jeanette Sinnott helped run Gostins and managed each of the floors. When we visited, she said: “Some customers come in and didn’t even know we existed. There is always that element of surprise with our offering.”
READ MORE: ‘Scouse walk of fame’ planned for city’s ‘Hollywood of the North’READ MORE: Old menu from famous Liverpool restaurant shows what prices used to be
Jeanette added: “We have really loyal customers who come back again and again. I’ve got to know some of them really well, especially over the 20 years I’ve been here, it’s great to see them.”
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info
Following the shopping mall’s closure in 2018, plans were submitted to convert the building into a hotel. In 2021, plans were put forward to Liverpool City Council by Israeli hospitality company The Fattal Group to open a £20m NYX Hotel on the site.
NYX is Fattal’s ‘lifestyle hotel’ brand and they can be found in London, Madrid, Milan, Prague, Dublin, Athens and across Israel. On its website, NYX says: “We are a super fashion, funky, sassy, urban, cool, rock and roll, classy and hipster hotel.”
The planning proposal for the Hanover Street site reads: “To change use of existing building to Hotel (C1) with associated bar & restaurant and erect two storey roof top extension”. It was approved by the council in December 2021.
Planning permission had been approved in December 2020, subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement regarding how much the developer will pay towards community projects as part of the plans. However, the plans needed reapproval from the planning committee due to the length of time that lapsed since the original report.
A document included with Fattal’s original planning application states: “The change of use to hotel accommodation provides an effective use of this city centre site, which will help to serve Liverpool’s growing tourist industry while refurbishing an important historic building back to its former glory. The proposals are sympathetic to the area and add to the overall quality of the city centre environment.
“The rooftop extension offers a stylish addition to the current building and helps to tie in the historic and modern elements, which are commonplace within the context. The proportions, materiality and character of the building are all retained and any adaptions to the existing elevations are reversible and adaptable to future change to ensure the longevity of this important historic building.”
The approved plans have been welcomed from a conservation perspective as the smaller two-storey roof extension is said to not be to the detriment of the surrounding historic environment. Additionally, the building was empty until the current application bought the building in 2020.
However, there are no signs of movement with the hotel scheme. When the ECHO visited the building last week, a black board covered its front doors.
The most recent planning application was approved on December 22, 2021. This means that the approval expires on December 22 of this year. The ECHO understands that Liverpool City Council’s planning team has not heard anything since.
The ECHO made a number of attempts to contact The Fattal Group and its NYX brand about the building’s future.