'Landmark moment' for Liverpool’s next big £1bn development project

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

Paddington South is the next stage of the award-winning Paddington Village development, which currently includes the Spine Building and the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village Hotel. 

The hope is that the Paddington South works will super charge the city’s research, development and innovation sector, whilst creating a vibrant new neighbourhood for the area. Central to the development 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.

Liverpool 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.

In collaboration with the University of Liverpool, the local authority has selected Morgan Sindall Construction to undertake master-planning and enabling works to ensure the KQ Liverpool site is ready for future developments and explore sustainability initiatives.

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.”

Brand-new residential development and futuristic office building HEMISPHERE - which gets its name from the two sides of the human brain - is the next development planned for Paddington Village. HEMISPHERE One and HEMISPHERE Two will offer a ‘unique combination’ of laboratories, with the first expected to be ready by 2027.

Emily Robson, Assistant Chief Executive of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, added: “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.”