Liverpool welcomes £31m boost for life sciences hub and street market
At the Convention of The North conference, Michael Gove the secretary of state for levelling up, housing, and communities announced the multi-million investment package for the city.
Up to £13m of this will be spent on delivering Hemisphere One – a new eight-storey Grade A office which will include up to five floors of new labs and promote net zero principles in Paddington Village.
With Hemisphere located at the heart of the city’s 450-acre Knowledge Quarter Innovation District, the minister stated the government’s support for an “arc of opportunity” across the city to Bramley Moore Dock.
Hemisphere is a £60m project to be delivered by Sciontec, which is a partnership between the council, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and Bruntwood SciTech.
Construction of Hemisphere is expected to begin in early 2025 and be complete by early 2027. The building has been designed by AHR Architects.
The 115,000 sq ft scheme will include 80,000 sq ft of lab space in the building’s top five floors, in line with the Liverpool City Region’s Health and Life Sciences Investment Zone vision.
Liverpool City Council set out its investment proposal to DLUHC late last year and this announcement follows the Interim report of the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel, chaired by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
Another £13m from the investment package is earmarked to acquire sites such as Smithdown Lane Police Station, along with the remediate and masterplan phase two of Paddington Village – Paddington South.
The final £5m is set to enable an upgrade for Great Homer Street Market in Everton, which would allow for its expansion and more traders.
Gove said: “We know there is immense potential for urban regeneration in Liverpool and the wider city region.
“That is why the vision set out in the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel report is so important. And that’s why we are backing it today it with £31m of new money for regeneration projects, which trace an arc of opportunity from the Knowledge Quarter to Bramley Moore Docks on the waterfront.”
Council leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: “We are delighted that the Government has endorsed our plans and is willing to invest in Paddington Village in our Knowledge Quarter. This investment will help to accelerate the city’s future as a world-leading science and innovation hub.
“This funding is also a huge vote of confidence in our vision to be one of Europe’s leading centres for research and development in the life-sciences.”
He added: “Hemisphere One is going to be a fantastic asset to the city, creating much-needed lab-based jobs for decades to come. The other tranche of funding will ensure we can develop the second phase of Paddington Village and enhance the city’s overall appeal to attract further investment and more jobs.
“In addition, the funding for Great Homer Street Market is equally welcome as this will ensure we can grow this vital community asset in north Liverpool.
“Today’s announcement is another sign of our growing relationship with Whitehall and Westminster which bodes well for further plans to grow the city’s economy.”
Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Sciontec Developments Limited and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “It is great news that Liverpool has been able to unlock additional funding for further development of its innovation infrastructure. This is a clear and deserved recognition of the enormous strides we have taken as a trailblazer in health and life sciences innovation and our potential for further success.
“The world-class laboratory and workspace created at Hemisphere will play a pivotal role in that continued success and an expanded Paddington Village will be the engine room for the delivery of wider investment zone plans for the next decade and beyond.”
