Builders chosen for £1bn Liverpool Knowledge Quarter extension

Construction firm Morgan Sindall has secured a £47m contract to deliver two projects as part of Liverpool City Council’s eight-figure Paddington Village scheme.

The Paddington Village plan, a £1bn extension to the city’s Knowledge Quarter, will see a 30-acre site east of the city centre, located off Smithdown Lane, transformed into three plots to be known as Paddington North, Paddington Central and Paddington South.

It is hoped the development will build on the city’s life science sector, attracting investment, creating jobs and cementing the city region’s position as an international destination for the life science, healthcare and tech industries.

Having procured the work through the North West Construction Hub framework, Morgan Sindall will carry out two distinct projects on the central plot.

Phase one, worth around £12m, is due to begin on site in Summer 2017 and involve the installation of infrastructure and the creation of public realm and development plots across the predominantly brownfield site.

In the second phase, Morgan Sindall will design and construct a £35m Northern Centre of Excellence for the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), which will take close to half of the available 140,000 sq ft space. Further, the RCP will work with the city council to find other institutions and life science businesses to move into the facility.

With pre-construction work already underway, started, Morgan Sindall is due to hand the building over to the council in late 2019.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “The Knowledge Quarter has the potential to redefine Liverpool’s economy - the ambition, the scale and the scope is that far reaching.

“Paddington Village is creating a huge amount of interest from investors and the first spade in the ground, which is always a symbolic moment for any development, will no doubt further boost that momentum and confidence.”

He added: “I’m delighted to see that Morgan Sindall has won the contract via the North West Construction Hub because it is vital we ensure projects like the Knowledge Quarter creates and supports jobs from the construction phase, right through to the end use of the facilities.’’

Knowledge Quarter Liverpool chief exec Colin Sinclair commented: “Working with the city council and Knowledge Quarter partners we’re creating an urban village at Paddington, a place where people can live, work and socialise and a place where innovation and creativity are encouraged.

“We welcome the appointment of Morgan Sindall, whose social values are in keeping with our desire to build a community and integrate the village with the local residents.”

Barry Roberts, Morgan Sindall’s area director for the North West, said: “Operating in such close proximity to universities and hospitals, innovative companies – from startup to blue chip – have great access to both academic research, and a patient base for clinical trials. There’s a genuine opportunity for meaningful collaboration.

“The companies and organisations working in these sectors need tailored-space. Whether that’s state-of-the-art laboratories or connected workspaces, the facilities we build will match the ambition and innovativeness of their end users.”

He continued: “The council’s strategy to drive the Liverpool city region’s economy forward by focusing on knowledge-intensive jobs in science, education, healthcare and technology industries will have a transformative effect on the region. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the city and Morgan Sindall is proud to be playing our part in supporting it.”

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