Graham to start on Liverpool Central Docks’ £71m foundations this month
Peel Waters aims to deliver 2,350 homes at the 26-acre brownfield site once the builder has completed the necessary enabling work.
Graham will begin work on Central Docks’ essential infrastructure, including underground utilities, roads, a park, and public realm by the end of September, targeting a spring 2028 finish.
The awarded £71m contract represents roughly 87% of the total £81.1m project cost – the investment is supported by £26m directly from Peel Waters and £55m of brownfield funding pledged by Homes England in July 2024.
Central Park, the five-acre public realm set to become one of the city’s largest green spaces, will be brought forward by Graham as part of the infrastructure project.
It is expected to provide sports, recreational, and play facilities for residents and visitors.
Future residents of Central Docks – the largest of the five planned neighbourhoods at the £5bn Liverpool Waters – will overlook the park and beyond toward the River Mersey.
Peel Waters has stated its 2,350 properties are to be made available across a mix of tenures, including affordable, build-to-rent, build-to-sell, and elderly living.
Graham will start work before the end of September. Credit: Virtual Planit
James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “We are gearing up to break ground to provide much-needed infrastructure to enable more development plots and housing to come forward.
“Peel Waters has worked with the contractor on several projects, including Millers Quay across the Mersey at Wirral Waters.
“It is clear from the design process that all parties share our long-term vision to transform this former industrial land into a spectacular waterfront neighbourhood and destination.”
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “This appointment is a major milestone as it sets in motion a multi-million investment drive in one of the most important brownfield development sites in England.
“The Central Docks site at Liverpool Waters has massive potential to deliver a housing scheme of significance and show the country how transformational brownfield regeneration can and should be done.”
He continued: “It will also act as a catalyst for our wider plans for north Liverpool, which will greatly stimulate the housing sector in our city region.”
Graham was first appointed in December 2024 to design the infrastructure for Central Docks.
Alastair Lewis, contracts director at Graham, added he looked forward to helping transform the site into “an iconic world heritage waterfront”.
Those contributing to the Central Docks project include Walker Sime, Actua, Planit, Layer.Studio, Curtins, Crookes Walker and Hannan, Amion, Thomas Lister, Cushman & Wakefield, Brabners, Civic, DACI, Pegasus, Headland Archaeology, and architect Bate and Taylor.
Looks good but it will take any of those buildings about 3 years to get through planning and then gateway 2. It desperately needs sorting.
By L17
I’ll be in my dotage before Peel get this built out. Still, it gives us something to chunter about on PNW.
By Anonymous
So two and a half years for the infrastructure works leads us to assume that no residential work will commence till mid 2028 at the earliest, unless the infrastructure work is phased and residential can commence once one phase is completed. It’s all been very slow and tortuous over the last 15 years when this £5 billion scheme was launched but you never feel that Peel has actually a clear idea of what the finished article will look like, as the Everton Stadium was never in their initial vision.
By Anonymous
Nice images.
By Liverpolitis
Great news!! Hopefully we’ll hear something regarding plans for the new cruise terminal and the new hotels at Prices Dock in the very near future too!
By Kev
Great news this.
By Anonymous
But Peel will not build any of them………… they will just sell plots at a good price to resi developers. Now that all their infrastructure has been paid for. Peel don’t actually build.
By Bob Dawson
What does this mean for the riverside walkway to Everton’s new ground. The walkway would take thousands safely off the roads and avoid congestion. Hopefully the construction site can be screened off to allow the walkway to be opened. Need for two small bridges by the dockers clock
By George
I wish Peel would go faster.
By Anonymous
Sefton Park – 235 acres
Walton Hall Park – 130 acres
Calderstones Park – 126 acres
Newsham Park – 121 acres
Stanley Park -110 acres
LISTER DRIVE PLAYING FIELD – 5 acres
Can we stop with the biggest/largest park nonsense?
By Du Be Ous
Well this looks ‘very promising ‘…..Should they not allow us to see the architecture…over 2000 homes sounds impressive ……fingers crossed….mind you the three towers on the water front are quite good…..
By Shaun Mackin
What do Peel actually do? If they don’t build
Do they own all of the land at the Liverpool waterfront?
By L13
@George, I get what your saying about the riverside walk but if I had bought or even rent a home here I wouldn’t want 1000s of football fans or rock concert fans passing through. Anyway to come out of the stadium you are already on the dock road, which is safely closed to traffic, so why would you want to double back towards the waterfront to get back into town. Of course if you want to enjoy the river you can turn right a bit after the bascule bridge where vehicles turn in for the Isle of Man ferry, and you could enjoy a coffee and Italian food at the Gran Caffe.
By Anonymous
It’s like the Chinese Expo they were building all over again. All noise then nowt!
By Bob Dawson
H0w many years have we been waitingfor the new cruise liner termanal i think around 10 and they ha ent even made a start on that yet!!!
By Tommy
Service charges!!!
By Anonymous
Peel bought the public-owned taxpayer-owned Ship Canal and Manchester Liverpool Docklands dead cheap (“privatizing or selling commonly-owned utilities is good” was Tory Marketist ideology then and now), and Peel has profited (owners and top execs) from the sell-on price as landprices climb) ever since. It was a no-brainer, for them, then and still is.
By James Hayes
To be honest a park that will end up as a litter festival. Who will trim the trees and shrubs? Liverpool has got to be the most litter strewn City I’ve seen, Coventry a close second. China build world beating bridges , dams, entire Cities that leave the West behind and do it all in a couple of years. In the West and especially the UK we talk about it for a few years, all the parasites make their money, then a few more years go by..then the excuses and incompetence and there goes 5- 10 years and nothing. We in the UK are backwards and an embarrassment sadly.
By Starflight
When?
By Anonymous
Wow. This is stunning
By Anonymous