GRAHAM wins No.1 Kings tower build contract in Liverpool
The contractor has been engaged by Davos Property Developments to deliver the 28-storey scheme, an £80m GDV project representing the first element of the £1.2bn Kings waterfront development.
All required demolition work at the site has now been completed by Metropolitan Demolition, and a start on-site is expected by mid-2027.
The Liverpool office of national contractor GRAHAM secured the No. 1 Kings tender following an “intensive” programme of negotiations with shortlisted contractors.
Planning permission was secured in February for the tower, designed by Brock Carmichael Architects. The partners in the project are the Davos property business, which functions as an arm of Liverpool retail powerhouse TJ Morris, and Beetham, an experienced developer of towers.
The contract will see the delivery of 255 new homes for rent, alongside ground floor retail, first-floor resident amenities and rooftop social spaces. Metropolitan Demolition has now cleared the site, which sits at the northern boundary of eight-acre development zone.
The plans include 127 one-bed flats, 123 two-bed ones, and five three-bed residences in the 250,000 sq ft building.
Hugh Frost, chairman of Beetham Davos, said the appointment represents “a pivotal moment” for the wider Kings project.
“We’ve fired the starting gun and continue to push on with the Kings development in the background,” he said. “The tower is fully-funded by the project’s shareholders, so the market can see confidence in the vision. No.1 Kings will raise the bar as far as design, fit-out and amenities go. Its delivery will underpin our discussions with end-users for the Kings development and be a catalyst for wider redevelopment.
“Our vision has captured the city’s imagination, with our political leaders very supportive of the ambition. We’re working hard on the detail now for the Kings masterplan. In the meantime, it’s great to have the GRAHAM team on board, who impressed us with their commitment and their enthusiasm to be part of the transformational redevelopment Kings represents.”
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Peter Reavey, regional director for GRAHAM, said: “Kings is the largest single regeneration project outside London and there’s no doubt it will be a game-changer for Liverpool’s economy. We’re delighted to once again have the opportunity to demonstrate our high rise, build to rent capabilities in the city and are now busy mobilising to meet the client’s timescales.”
A hybrid application will be submitted soon for the rest of the tower cluster. Credit: via Merrion Strategy
Other big ticket work for GRAHAM in the region includes two big Manchester PBSA redevelopment schemes – MMU and Unite’s Cambridge Halls, and the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield site. Both have secured Gateway 2 approval in recent months.
Kings as a whole is to include nine buildings, with the over-arching vision that it will provide an important link between Liverpool’s business district and Liverpool Waters and assets such as the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Beyond this initial 28-storey tower, the Kings ambition covers a five-star hotel, offices, F&B, and five residential towers, the tallest of which could reach 70 storeys, subject to planning consent.
A masterplan hybrid application will be submitted in early 2027 seeking detailed consent for four of the initial buildings, including hotel, residential and leisure uses, and outline consent for the remaining proposed towers.
Brock Carmichael is the masterplan architects for Kings, with SimpsonHaugh designing the potentially 70-storey centrepiece revealed at this year’s MIPIM property conference.
Pegasus Group is providing planning, economics, heritage and EIA services, with Planit leading on public realm design. WSP is advising on highways.
