PLANS to build luxury apartments inside the Port of Liverpool Building have been given backing from the country's top heritage agency.
The decision by English Heritage to support the £20m project at the Pier Head landmark paves the way for the plan to be approved by the city council's planning committee next Tuesday.
Owner Downing Developments withdrew an earlier proposal that would have seen 18 luxury apartments created in a modern glass-style construction on the roof of the building, one of the Three Graces.
Planners said that scheme was considered too bold and at odds with the highly-sculptured Edwardian baroque building.
The new plan will restore the original design of the building and its roof level extension, which was heavily damaged during bombing raids in World War II.
This included a slated mansard roof with dormer windows set behind, with ornamental stone balustrades in front. In the post-war repair programme, the roof area was re-modelled and replaced by a flat roofed attic storey in Portland stone.
Experts from English Heritage have been involved in detailed discussions about the design because of the sensitivity of the building, which is at the heart of the World Heritage site.
Planning officers in a report to councillors admit that the roof-top extension is the most controversial element of the scheme.
They say what is a major intervention can only be justified provided it does not cause adverse impact to the significance of the building.
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