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The developer of the cancelled Fourth Grace scheme in Liverpool has lodged a multi-million pound claim for costs against the North West Development Agency.

Developer Neptune, which was drafted in to build the section of the design called the Cloud, has issued the claim against the NWDA to cover the money it spent on developing the project’s initial stages.

The developer is thought to be seeking around £5m. NWDA lawyers are currently considering the claim, although Neptune has stressed that the dispute could be settled without going to court.

Neptune was part of architect Will Alsop"s consortium that was working to develop the Fourth Grace.

The claim has been made exclusively against the NWDA because it is understood to have agreed to cover the costs of private sector firms in the event that the project collapsed.

Other organisations involved in the scheme, such as Liverpool council and Liverpool Vision, are not being pursued.

Will Alsop’s project was shelved last July due to spiralling costs.