Waterfront Residences
£78m GDV GDV — Mixed Use Residential
£78m
GDV
£4.7m
Flood Mitigation Cost
£2.1m
CIL Relief Secured
14%
Initial Obligations as % GDV
6.5%
Negotiated Obligations as % GDV
210
Units
Waterfront Residences is a mixed-use development on a prominent quayside site in Liverpool's northern docks, delivering 210 apartments above active ground floor commercial and retail uses. The scheme forms part of the wider Liverpool Waters regeneration framework and required sensitive treatment of flood risk, heritage setting, and complex infrastructure delivery. Affintis was appointed to negotiate planning obligations and secure CIL relief on infrastructure grounds.
Client
Mersey Waterfront Developments Ltd
Sector
Mixed Use Residential
Location
Liverpool
Completion
2023
Services Provided
- CIL Exceptional Circumstances Relief
- S106 Phasing Negotiation
- Infrastructure Cost Analysis
- Cashflow Modelling
- Profit Share Mechanism
Waterfront development with significant flood mitigation and infrastructure requirements impacting viability. The site's proximity to the River Mersey required a £4.7m flood defence and sustainable drainage system, while Liverpool City Council's Infrastructure Delivery Plan placed significant CIL and S106 obligations on the site. The combined planning obligations represented 14% of GDV, rendering the scheme unviable on initial assessment.
Affintis prepared a detailed infrastructure cost report, establishing the extraordinary flood mitigation and ground condition costs as a basis for CIL exceptional circumstances relief. We negotiated directly with the council's Section 106 team to agree phased S106 payments aligned to development cashflow milestones rather than planning consent trigger points. A capped profit share mechanism was agreed to allow the council to benefit if sales values exceeded appraisal assumptions.
Phased S106 payments and CIL relief negotiated, improving cashflow and enabling project commencement. CIL relief was granted at 100% on the basis of exceptional infrastructure costs, saving £2.1m. S106 payments were re-profiled to construction phasing, eliminating a significant early cashflow deficit. The scheme commenced in Q2 2022 and has now completed, with all residential units sold.