Liverpool City Council has approved plans for the £105m redevelopment of the former Lewis's department store.

Proposals for mixed-use project at the 420,000sq ft (39,000sq m) Grade II-listed building were passed by the city's planning committee in August. The owners of the site, developer Merepark and property company Capital & Counties, are behind the plans for the redevelopment of the nine-storey building, which will include a music venue, food and drink outlets, and a three-star boutique hotel. A new public plaza and retail outlets will also be established as part of the project.

Architect RTKL designed the scheme, which will incorporate the former Lewis's store's historic features, including its iconic frontage and Sir Jacob Epstein's 'Liverpool Resurgent' statue. Director at Merepark, Ian Jones, said: "From the start, this has very much been a conservation-led project and we have worked closely with English Heritage and Liverpool City Council's conservation officer to make sure our scheme preserves the unique character of Lewis's."

Merepark is also expecting to submit a joint planning application with Irish developer Ballymore later this year for the redevelopment of the Watson Building, next to the Lewis's building.