Liverpool City Council starts work on the next stage of its Knowledge Quarter regeneration project after securing £160m from the Government. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool City Council is creating a £1bn Knowledge Quarter at Paddington Village

Work has started on the next stage of Liverpool’s £1bn Knowledge Quarter (KQ Liverpool) regeneration project.

In April the city council secured the first instalment of £160m cash injection from the Government that it is using to establish the Life Sciences Investment Zone. This will support projects in KQ Liverpool and at Sci-Tech Daresbury.

Major developments are proposed at Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, where two new buildings – HEMISPHERE One and HEMISPHERE Two – will provide additional commercial laboratory space.

Now in collaboration with the University of Liverpool the city council has tasked Morgan Sindall Construction to undertake masterplanning and enabling works at the KQ Liverpool Paddington Village site.

Paddington South is the next phase of the development, which currently includes the Spine Building, a grade A office building, a clean energy multi-storey car park, and the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village Hotel.

Central to Paddington South will be a revamped public green space around Grove Street, with the aim of improving biodiversity by 10% as part of the city’s wider urban green up programme.

Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Growth and Economy, said: “The start of work at Paddington South is a landmark moment in our journey to ensuring Liverpool becomes one of Europe’s leading R&D centres in science innovation.

“An expanded Paddington Village is vital to the city’s future economic growth and to creating a conveyor belt of high skilled jobs.

“Once delivered, this former brownfield site will become the engine room for the delivery of our wider Investment Zone plans for the coming decade and beyond.”

Funding from the Government has enabled the council to acquire the former Smithdown Lane Police Station. This is expected to be demolished in the first quarter of 2025.

Image of the £60m HEMISPHERE One proposed for Paddington Village

Once complete, the new green space will be aligned with the Liverpool Public Realm, and Design for Access for All strategic planning documents. Morgan Sindall will also explore further sustainability initiatives throughout the development.

It has also offered 296 apprenticeship opportunities, 126 work experience placements and has delivered numerous educational talks and tours, resulting in a social value legacy of £122m across Paddington Village.

Professor Richard Black, Provost and deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Liverpool, added: “We are excited about the important opportunities offered by the development to enable a step-change in our research and development activities.

“We are particularly passionate about the important benefits the development will have for our city in terms of jobs, reputation, wealth generation and more.”