Pickles decides not to call in £5.5bn Liverpool Waters proposals

The Council resolved to grant planning permission for the proposals in March last year and the plans were submitted to Government in September.

The scheme will see the regeneration of 60 hectares of unused and derelict docks to deliver 9,000 homes and 3 million square feet of commercial space, including the construction of a 55 storey tower. It will provide offices, shops, restaurants, hotels and leisure facilities as well as a new cruise liner terminal. The Council said it expects more than 20,000 jobs to be created.

“This is fantastic news for Liverpool," said Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson in a statement. "I’m absolutely delighted that the Secretary of State shares the confidence we have in our ability to deliver this vitally important regeneration scheme, while protecting our architectural heritage."

“Today’s announcement marks the start of a new era for Liverpool, paving to way to us delivering a world class development which will transform a part of the city that has been in desperate need of investment for decades," the Mayor said.

“It’s a huge boost for our city and yet more evidence that despite the recession, regeneration is forging ahead here. We can now look forward to the plans moving forward on this once-in-a-lifetime scheme which will bring huge, lasting benefits to future generations in this city," he said.

Parts of the development site have been designated as a UNESCO world heritage site and both English Heritage and UNESCO have objected to the scheme.

UNESCO has said that the constructions would leave the site damaged by a loss of historical authenticity and that this could potentially mean that the city could be deleted from the world heritage list.

"This is a well-deserved reward and justice for all those who never gave up supporting this scheme," said Peel development director, Lindsey Ashworth.

"English Heritage together with the World Heritage Body UNESCO put up massive obstacles to prevent this development proposal getting permission. Their studies and arguments have all collapsed and rightly so as it’s simply not right to expect derelict parts of cities with such a rich history to stand still and be fossilized," he said.