Planning approval has been granted for the first phase of the £1bn King Edward development adjacent to Liverpool’s Pier Head.

Demolition works starting this spring will be followed by construction of a 28-storey residential tower on the regeneration site’s first plot.

A demolition contractor will be appointed imminently while the Enquirer understands talks are now set to start with a shortlist of contractors for the first tower.

Hugh Frost of developer Beetham Davos said: “It feels like we’ve pushed a big green button marked ‘go’.

“The tower is fully-funded by the project shareholders and we will now move forward at pace.”

The wider King Edward masterplan would see a cluster of tall buildings, with a stated ambition of ‘pushing the boundary’ of the city’s policy on building height including a 60-storey tower.