The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, is to launch a new initiative for developers and landowners to undergo a voluntarily police check as they submit plans for future developments.

The scheme, which will launch this Autumn, will complement Liverpool City Council's own Due Diligence process and see Merseyside Police carrying out the checks.

Currently, there are more than 180 live schemes worth over £3 billion currently being delivered in the city. However, the council has been exploring additional ways to protect investors with the aim of boosting confidence in development schemes.

Mayor Joe Anderson said: "We want people to have confidence that the schemes taking place in our city are going to be delivered. We already work very hard with any developer or investor who comes to the city and wants to talk to us.

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"As a result, Liverpool is very much 'open for business' creating jobs, new homes and opportunities for people.

"However, most private sector schemes have absolutely no involvement from the council, except to grant planning permission. So, we want to ask developers to put themselves forward voluntarily for a police check in order to give both their investors, and the city, confidence in the strength of their scheme."

Continuing, Mayor Anderson said as the scheme is voluntary, it "reflects the weakness of government policy in this area".

"Government legislation very tightly controls what our planning system can and cannot do and practically reduces the Council to a bystander with very little ability to shape and control our city," he said.

"In some situations one bad apple, like we have seen recently, can give the wrong impression about our city, against the other 99% of successful projects.

"I think this is a good way of collecting more information about developers behind schemes so that their investors can make a more informed choice. I also think this will attract good developers to Liverpool because they know we are a council which is willing to work with them and take seriously our responsibility to grow and enhance the city."

(LM)