Removal of building seen as key to next phase of Paddington Village plans
Professor Tim Jones, Vice Chancellor at the University of Liverpool, and Leader of Liverpool City Council, Cllr Liam Robinson visited the Paddington Village South site as demolition phase ends with removal of Smithdown Lane police station
A flagship £1 billion development on the edge of Liverpool city centre is set to move into a new phase following the demolition of a landmark building. Work to remove the former Smithdown Lane Police Station, which lies within the Paddington Village South scheme, has now been completed.
This demolition work is seen as a key moment in paving the way for new development opportunities under a masterplan for the site, which is being co-ordinated by Liverpool City Council and the University of Liverpool.
Paddington South, which is backed by government funding, is the next instalment of the wider Paddington Village development.
This site currently includes the Spine Building, which provides Grade A office space, a 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, while aiming to create a vibrant new neighbourhood for the area.
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 and, new active travel routes linked to the wider City cycle network.
Through the demolition of Smithdown Lane Police Station, lead contractor Morgan Sindall Construction has aimed to recycle and reuse as much of the existing materials as possible. Working in partnership with local charity ReciproCity, existing furniture from the building was recycled and donated to local charities and businesses, which avoided in excess of 250 office desks and chairs along with other furniture from going to landfill.
Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris, MP, said: “The Paddington South site is set to become a hub for research and innovation, driving growth and opportunities in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter and beyond, helping us deliver on our Plan for Change.
“Liverpool has always been at the forefront with new ideas and innovation so it’s exciting that the project has entered this new phase, and I look forward to seeing it progress in the months ahead.”
Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “The clearance of the old police station 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 Tim Jones, Vice Chancellor at the University of Liverpool, said: “We are excited about this latest milestone in the development of Paddington South. This site provides us with an exciting opportunity to realise 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.”
Colin Sinclair, CEO at 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.”