Demo paves way for second phase of Liverpool’s Paddington Village
Morgan Sindall Construction has finished razing Smithdown Lane Police Station, a move that enables the delivery of a park, research and development facilities, a series of homes, and active travel routes in Liverpool’s £1bn Knowledge Quarter.
The demolition had begun at the start of this year, with Rhodar Specialist Enabling Works conducting the work on site.
Paddington Village South is the second part of the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool’s more than 30-acre Paddington Village scheme, a masterplan that has already delivered the 100,000 sq ft Spine office building and the Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village Hotel.
KQ Liverpool is the result of a joined-up effort between Liverpool City Council, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, Bruntwood SciTech, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group to leverage the city’s expertise in technology, science, and health to create a vibrant innovation campus.
“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,” said Liverpool City Council Leader Cllr Liam Robinson.
“An expanded Paddington Village is vital to the city’s future economic growth and to creating a conveyor belt of high-skilled jobs,” he continued.
Robinson also linked the demolition to the city’s plans for its £160m investment zone – a government-backed project that aims to jumpstart the life sciences economy in the Liverpool City Region.
Robinson said of Paddington South: “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.”
University of Liverpool vice chancellor Tim Jones and Liverpool City Council Leader Cllr Liam Robinson celebrated the demolition of the old police station. Credit: via Liverpool City Council
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of KQ Liverpool, spoke about Paddington Village’s role in the larger KQ scheme.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
He concluded: “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.”
Morgan Sindall Construction was recruited in September to get the site ready for development. The contractor had also delivered the first phase of Paddington Village, Paddington Village Central.
So far, the company estimates its work on Paddington Village projects has delivered £122.5m of social value to the city. This included employing 123 apprentices, working with more than 150 individuals during employment courses, and engaging thousands of students.
As part of the demolition, Morgan Sindall recycled and donated around 250 office desks and chairs from the police station with the help of charity ReciproCity.
Such actions are befitting the essence of the Paddington Village project, according to the company.
Morgan Sindall North West area director Steven Gregory elaborated: “As in our previous work at the Knowledge Quarter, we’ve taken a sustainability-first approach – maximising reuse and recycling throughout the process, and working with fantastic partners like ReciproCity to ensure surplus furniture went to local charities instead of landfill.
“This project is about building for the future – creating opportunities, driving social value, and leaving a legacy that benefits the community for generations to come.”
Paddington Village South is backed by a £13m government grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.
I wonder if they will uncover anything more to do with the Williamson Tunnels which run underneath – which is exciting in itself! I think there used to be old stables there.
By Lizzy Baggot
Showing my age here, but I remember when that station was the epicentre of the police’s response to the Toxteth riots in 1981. A week’s unbroken insurrection 400 yards to the south and the base from which the first ever use of tear gas on the British mainland was executed. If those walls could talk…
By Anonymous
This building will be no loss but whatever replaces it must be good quality with modern looking inner-city residential.
There is already a basis in that area to develop a nice looking park as many mature trees already exist.
However talk about spin doctors, Liam Robinson brags about phase 2 of Paddington Village while the first section is nowhere near finished yet with a number of buildings still to commence.
By Anonymous
LCC and Colin Sinclair talk the talk but where is the delivery. The last building completed in Paddington Village was 3 years ago and that was a car park. The Spine remains half empty and despite promises, consultations and the usual reworked plans still no start on Hemisphere 1 and 2 .
By Anon
Stop whinging
By Anonymous
This is good news, but will the Police Station be replaced? the area needs to retain an accessible station and have a Police presence.
By GetItBuilt!
Photo opps are hard to find in Liverpool so Liam has to make do with demolitions.
Does he and his development team realise that we only have 5 actually active cranes working in Liverpool at the moment, which is an utter embarrassment considering what’s going on in Leeds, Mcr,Brum, Newcastle.
By Anonymous
Still no sign of Hemisphere 1 and 2. Knocking down buildings is the easy part.
By Anonymous
They haven’t even confirmed plans for Paddington South. Hope this doesn’t entert master planning limbo like Festival Gardens.
By MerseyMoaner
Let’s have another 15 year Masterplan after 15 years hey !!!!!
By Anonymous
Remember inclusive growth in your plans for Paddington Village. Your development partners have little interest in helping Liverpool grow, so the responsibility lies with LCC and Knowledge Quarter. There’s two hopes of it happening: slim hope and no hope.
By Eleanor Overlord
So here we are years after the concept of Paddington Village was announced and they are still avoiding the issue of providing a rail facility for this important “engine room” as Liam Robinson calls it.
One of his predecessors Joe Anderson announced the potential of providing a rail station, not just for Paddington Village but also for the University and the Royal Hospital, since then nothing.
Just where is the joined up thinking here, how come the Metro Mayor isn’t on the case given it’s importance to Liverpool’s economic future. It’s like a lot of issues going on in the City and Region, the vision and ambition are lacking and the attitude of making do with 2nd best prevails.
By Anonymous
There’s no underlying demand to fill a development there. The Spine is still embarrassingly empty, at bargain basement rents
By Demand