New Floating Penthouse A Home Like No Other In UK
Wed 5th Aug 09 - 13:48

£300,000 pad dropped by crane into marina.

A new kind of home made a splash in the city when it was lifted by crane from the River Mersey into Liverpool Marina.

The unusual spectacle stopped traffic and drew crowds as the floating home, described as "penthouse style" and the first of its kind in the country, was craned from the river, over the Kings Parade road and into the water of Queen's Dock on the other side.

It was a meticulous operation which even had to take into account the time of the buses due along the parade.

Specialist equipment, including a floating crane from the Port of Liverpool, was brought in to lift the 80-ton home as dozens of workers on land and in boats helped the smooth transition.

After being positioned in the marina, it will now serve as a national show home for similar custom-made outlets.

The firm behind the idea, Wilmslow-based Floating Concepts, has created designs for not just one-bedroom and family homes, but offices, hotels, shops and cafés, ultimately hoping whole communities will spring up on the water.

Floating Concepts' Chief Executive David Beard is also co-owner of Liverpool Marina itself and said he could think of no better place to launch his new project.

He is keen to promote the value of "bluefield" land as a viable alternative to town or country living and thinks his floating communities could become tourist attractions in their own right.

Mr Beard said: "I am confident waterborne living will bring new life to existing water space and provide exciting environments which are perfect for 21st-century living.  It will be a useful addition to Liverpool as a tourist destination.  Our aim is to dispel perceptions of water-based living as being restricted to narrow boats and show an alternative of aspirational living."

Each floating home made by the company - the model now in the marina weighs 80 tons and is worth more than £300,000 - will be bespoke to requirements.

The high-spec build on display has 1,100 square foot of living space, under-floor heating and a number of green credentials, including geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, provision for rain water harvesting and sustainable materials.

It may have been hard work to get the show home into place, but port bosses said the firm is a welcome addition to the water.

Steve Hardcastle, harbourmaster at Liverpool Port, said: "Liverpool Marina boasts an extremely well-equipped port, with the capacity to deal with unusual cargo.  We are really pleased to be working alongside Floating Concepts and are delighted it has chosen Liverpool docks to exhibit its revolutionary housing idea."

It may seem like a risky business in the current difficult financial climate, but Floating Concepts - which came to fruition yesterday after being set up two years ago - believe long-term there will only be benefits to the promotion of their alternative way of living.

It says it offers an alternative to the risk of flooding and the effects of global warming, and plain and simple exclusivity which will give the company a cutting edge over contemporary estate agencies.

Mr Beard, a chartered surveyor and property developer, added: "One only had to look at the apartment market, where prices rose meteorically fuelled by the demand from buy-to-let investors, but crashed as a result of oversupply aided by the banking crisis.  I believe public realisation that living on water is achievable will grow at a very much faster rate than the supply of opportunities to do so can be created, which will lead to demand vastly exceeding supply, in turn leading prices rising faster and more consistently than for comparable land-based properties.

5th August 2009 - Vicky Anderson from the Liverpool Daily Post

Back to Latest News

View the Archive