 A BILLION-POUND project to transform Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle appeared to be in tatters last night, after contractors finally abandoned a development site. An administrator has been appointed to determine the future of a partially-completed tower block following a lengthy legal wrangle between developers, the Windsor Group and contractors Laing O’Rourke. The site, spanning The Strand and Hurst Street, was destined to be the first part of the development, a £50m high-rise apartment scheme, boasting one of the finest addresses in the city. The three blocks of apartments would have seen the start of an influx of 4,000 people to live in the Baltic Triangle. Last night, three skyscraper cranes and building equipment had been removed, giving the site a “ghost town” appearance, with no signs of activity. Sources close to the development said the administrator would now seek a buyer for the partially finished site, going up on what was once the premises of chandlers Joseph Lamb and Sons, owned by veteran politician Sir Trevor Jones. The move sparked a call for an urgent summit meeting to determine the future of the partially-constructed scheme opposite Wapping Dock. Contractual disputes between the Windsor Group and contractors Laing O’Rourke brought work to a standstill more than six months ago. Now three skyscraper cranes and site equipment, idle for months, have been removed from the site by Laing’s own crane company. The high-rise cranes have been moved to other sites. Roger Darwin, director of Windsor Developments Liverpool, told the Daily Post last night: “Our interests in the Baltic Triangle are at an advanced stage of being restructured, and to this end we are bringing in additional partners. “In the interim, by agreement with our bankers, an administrator as been appointed on the Hurst Street Project (phase one) to insure an orderly transition. This has no impact on any other of our projects within the Baltic Triangle. The Baltic Triangle projects are a huge enterprise to which we remain committed.” The Windsor Group, run by three business partners, burst onto the Liverpool scene in 2005 with ambitious plans to create a billion-pound urban village on the fringe of Grosvenor’s Paradise Project. They bought, for their flagship scheme, the premises of ship chandlers Joseph Lamb and Sons. The store, dating back to the 1700s, was demolished to pave the way for an apartment block fronting Strand Street. To celebrate the Manhattan feel of the blocks, they were even given New York names, Lexington, Liberty and Lincoln. The Windsor Group gradually bought other business properties as part of a site assembly strategy for their Baltic vision. The second to be acquired by Windsor was the premises of uniform suppliers Greenbergs, in Park Street. That landmark building was demolished to pave the way for more apartments. | 
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