Work begins at Liverpool’s Paddington South scheme

Liverpool City Council has begun work on Paddington South, the next phase in the city’s flagship, mixed-use £1bn Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) development, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool. 

Morgan Sindall Construction has been selected to undertake masterplanning and enabling works to ensure the city centre site is plot-ready for future developments.

Paddington South is the next phase of the multi award-winning Paddington Village development, which currently includes the WELL Platinum standard rated Spine Building, which provides Grade A office space, a clean energy multi-storey car park, and the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village Hotel. 

The ambition for the Paddington South masterplan will be to super charge the city’s research, development and innovation sector, whilst creating a vibrant new neighbourhood for the area, embedded in sustainable development principles.

Central to the 9-acre scheme 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.

The City Council received a multi-million pound package from Government in spring to accelerate innovation-led economic growth. This funding enabled the acquisition of the former Smithdown Lane Police Station, which is expected to be demolished in the first quarter of 2025.

Once complete, the new green space will be aligned with the Liverpool Public Realm, and Design for Access for All Strategic Planning Documents with the aim of achieving zero carbon in operation, aligning with the Council’s 2030 net zero ambitions and assisting the University in its 2035 net zero campus aim.

Morgan Sindall will also explore further sustainability initiatives throughout the development, such as the reuse of materials and reducing site waste.

Throughout the delivery of Paddington South, Morgan Sindall will continue to maximise the amount of social value generated. To date, the team has offered 296 apprenticeship opportunities, 126 work experience placements and has delivered numerous educational talks and tours, resulting in a social value legacy of £122 million across Paddington Village.

The City Council owned Paddington Village site has earned numerous industry awards including eight Considerate Construction Awards including “Most Considerate Site”, an Innovation Award from the BCO for The Spine and three Constructing Excellence North West Awards for The Spine.

Councillor 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.  

“I’m delighted the focus on providing a world-class development is as much on sustainability and creating a new green lung in the city and look forward to seeing the masterplan for the site take shape and develop.”

Professor Richard Black, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Liverpool said, “We are excited about the important opportunities offered by the development of Paddington South to enable a step-change in our research and development activities in areas where we are already rated as world-leading.

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

Steven Gregory, Area Director for Morgan Sindall in the North West, said: “From start to finish, Paddington Village has, and will continue to be, a resounding endorsement of early engagement, sustainable innovation, and Social Value. Through our collaboration with Liverpool City Council we have been able to create high-performing, future-proofed facilities and green spaces that will serve the community and the wider economy for years to come.

“The importance of providing biodiverse, net zero facilities is ever-increasing, and large cities are often bereft of high-quality green spaces.

“We are excited to be involved in this phase of works that will add not only green space to the community, but also encourage carbon efficient commuting and biodiversity for wildlife to thrive in, which is central to Morgan Sindall’s ethos. We look forward to delivering this phase, and to continuing our relationship with Liverpool City Council into the future.”

Emily Robson, Assistant Chief Executive of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “Paddington Village is intrinsic to the future success of the KQ Liverpool innovation district, with the capability to help create upwards of 10,000 new, highly-skilled jobs in the city region, building on our existing strengths in life sciences, robotics engineering and materials chemistry.

“The provision of green space and other amenities is crucial in creating a genuine sense of place and attracting people to live and work here. We look forward to supporting Morgan Sindall and the city council in their efforts to complete this next phase of work – taking us a step closer to realising the enormous potential of Paddington Village.”