Liverpool-based Owen Ellis Architects and Mott Macdonald Engineers have designed the Liverpool Baltic Station for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, to increase footfall and economic growth and act as a catalyst for development in the Baltic area.The project was awarded a 96 million funding package by theLiverpool City Region Combined Authority in September, spearheaded by city region mayor Steve Rotheram.It is one of four planned stations the mayor hopes to deliver. The others are in Daresbury, Halton, Woodchurch on the Wirral and Carr Mill in St Helens.AdvertisementThe station is proposed for a compact site owned and managed by Network Rail, comprising a 12m-deep sandstone rockface cutting which houses an in-use Merseyrail railway line, and the disused St James Station along with its dilapidated platforms.The plot also includes an awkward surface-level triangle of land spanning 538m, housing a disused storage yard and incorporating a 1.9m level change. This was bought by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority last year. Source:Google Earth Site, outlined in red, and surrounding contextThe new station would serve Merseyrails Northern Line from Hunts Cross to Southport (between Liverpool Central and Brunswick stations), and consist of a single-storey building with lift towers projecting upwards to serve as beacons from the surrounding approaches, according to a design and access statement (D&A).While Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is the overall client, Network Rail is responsible for the project delivery and management of the railway, and Merseyrail will be the end user and train operating company. All three have been involved in the design development process.Network Rail chose multidisciplinary design consultant Mott MacDonald to complete the outline and technical design of the station, and Mott MacDonald in turn appointed Owen Ellis Architects to do the architectural design.AdvertisementExternally, the station building will be highly adorned with red terracotta moulding relief, according to the architects, drawing on the historic architectural style of the Baltic area, including the nearby Grade II-listed Cains Brewery building, completed in 1900.Internally, the concourse is designed to be an open plan, flexible and well-lit, airy space, fully accessible with an entrance halfway down Stanhope Street.Owen Ellis Architects wrote in the D&A: The architectural design vision is a contemporary take on the heritage of the diverse industrial Baltic location and heritage.The materials are industrial and robust and respect the local red brick and sandstone. The lift towers and monolith chimneys take influence from the Baltic chimneys and act as destination beacons and focal points, in both form and wayfinding. Source:Infinite 3DLiverpool City Council outlined the benefits of a new station at the Baltic site in its 2020 Strategic Regeneration Framework, stating that it would unlock new areas for future development, create employment and reduce reliance on cars.Around 2,000 apartments have been built in the area since 2012, and there are plans for at least 2,000 more to be built, according to the D&A.While there is no specific planning history for the station site itself, several recent planning applications have been submitted and approved in the immediate surrounding area according to a planning statement. These include a 13-storey mixed-use apartment and office block (approved), a seven-storey building with office space or creative uses and a car park (approved), and a 10-storey apartment block (awaiting decision).Pending planning approval and the go-ahead from the Department for Transport, construction on the Baltic station is scheduled to begin this year, and complete in 2027.