MIPIM | Partners expand on King Edward tower vision
Beetham and TJ Morris vehicle KEIE want to bring Liverpool’s first five-star hotel to a tower topping 60 storeys, with architect SimpsonHaugh lined up to join the design team.
KEIE and Beetham have briefed MIPIM delegates on their vision for the £1bn King Edward masterplan.
The developers have also confirmed the ambition to bring skyscraper specialist SimpsonHaugh, architect of Manchester’s Beetham Tower, into the design team, which would represent a Liverpool debut for the firm.
Brock Carmichael is leading on design as the masterplan architect, while 3XN could also become part of the team.
The development is intended to link the city’s business district with the waterfront. The JV developers recently confirmed that a planning application for a ‘pathfinder’ tower of 27 storeys will be submitted within a month.
MIPIM has seen the vision fleshed out further, the partners revealing that the scheme will include two hotels, totalling 400 bedrooms, with the aim of targeting a global operator to provide a five-star brand which will also offer luxury branded residences within a single tower of 60 storeys or more.
“We are creating a destination and a new district in the city centre and the mix and quality of uses and operators will be key to its success,” said Hugh Frost, chairman of developer Beetham.
“A waterfront of Liverpool’s quality deserves only the best and we are here talking to hoteliers about how we can give them the setting to showcase their brand for the first time in the Liverpool market. The growth in the city’s high-end tourism market, particularly cruise passengers, gives us the confidence that this will succeed,” added Frost.
Scheme architect Chris Bolland of Liverpool-based Brock Carmichael said that the development’s design values will be a key attribute that will attract blue-chip occupiers:
“This is all about creating a new destination to which blue chip occupiers will naturally gravitate. The best restaurateurs want to be next to the best hotels and office occupiers, so everything is conceived with that circularity in mind,” said Bolland.
He added: “We are delighted to be curating an outstanding design team that we hope will also include SimpsonHaugh, and global design practice firm 3XN.”
- Read more from MIPIM 2025 on Place North’s MIPIM Hub
Related Articles
Analysis - Event Summary
MIPIM | ‘Great North’ ready to explode as UK’s economic driver
From data centres in Blackpool to space centres in Newcastle, a panel of Northern leaders set out their investment propositions on the global stage and discussed how the North can work together to make them a reality.
SimpsonHaugh ? Well it’s sort of local and you know exactly what sort of design you’ll be getting. Not sure 60 story is going to happen. It’ll end at the ‘pathfinder’ size, then they’ll lose the path.
By Realist
Not quite a Liverpool debut for Simpson Haugh as I think they designed the 50 floor Brunswick Tower till it was rejected by Greater Manc MP Ruth Kelly who was Secretary of State at the time. I also believe the firm’s design for an extension to the National Wildflower Centre was set to go ahead till Lottery money was refused. Anyway good to see them under consideration as they are a tried and tested partner for Hugh Frost.
By Anonymous
This is great news for Liverpool, an iconic waterfront setting for a new top quality district! Big plans for Central Docks area along with this, great times ahead!!
By Renaissance
With so many big hitters involved, this is definitely happening.
By Anonymous
This is great investment for Liverpool and just what it needs to move forward with the rest of the world , lets just hope LCC don’t crush Liverpool’s dreams.
By Anonymous
Labour Liverpool think we live in a small village though?
By Anonymous
It would be nice if something happened here, ideally in the average lifetime of all of us..but then this is Liverpool 🙄
By Anonymous
As long as Liverpool doesn’t let almost every single new building be developed by the boring Simpson Haugh squad like we have, they should be ok. Manchester’s skyline has gone from promising to rather dull now sadly.
By Mancunian
Please LCC planning keep your paws of this one.
By Anonymous
The people of Liverpool await with bated breath at the prospect of a checkerboard 60 storey glass block 🙂 Also the original Beetham in Liverpool is a Simpson (if not a SH), so..
By Anonymous
Oh, SimpsonHaugh.. great.. guess everyone knows exactly how it’ll look, a boringly bland, generic glass facade, square top tower. Please, can someone with any ounce of imagination join their team. The bar does not seem very high with them
By Mart
This is what Liverpool truly deserves forward thinking with ambition I am nervous though because of Liverpool City Council they unfortunately are not ambitious and quite downtrodden sadly .
Is there a new policy in place with big constructions going to external bodies for decisions so hopefully this might go through .
By Anonymous
I believe LCC have been really positive about this development including heights above 60 story’s so all good news.
By Anonymous
Really great to see that KEIE are aiming high with the ideas for one of the proposed towers. What a statement that would be for our fine city to give out if the 60 storey tower was built. The brakes would at long last be off and we would be seen to be moving forwards again. As Norman Vincent Peale once said ‘ Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will land among the stars!’ Lets get the plans done and lets get it built…..along with the other towers in the cluster! Onwards and hopefully upwards!
By Brendan R
Kinda weird seeing Simpson haugh on the team but it’s OK with designing an tower here in Liverpool but He recently designed the beautiful Monster (Viadux 2)which was 246m and. Will be good for Manchester But lets give him a chance to Make this change the Skyscraper boom in Liverpool But this delevopment will help the city.In my opinion they should make Another tower 50 storeys if they are adding extra
By Supertall specialty
Really disheartening news that SimpsonHaugh are involved. Their portfolio consists of a set of identikit, cookie cutter towers in central Manchester, with the same style and finish. Fingers crossed they try to push the boat out a bit here.
And as for 3XN… We’ve seen what they did to Liverpool’s waterfront with the Museum of Liverpool. Switch on the air raid sirens, Carbuncle Award incoming!
By Nonnster
SimpsonHaugh designed the Elizabeth tower in Manchester with setback and different cladding. Still my favourite. They of course also did the Three60 and the Blade so they can change the template when they want to,or more accurately when it costs in. That of course is the trick these days. Margins are thinner than ever with the talls. A couple of reasonable size towers here would look good and if you’ve been around a while are a long time coming. Here’s hoping this is not another false dawn.
By Ivor biggen
It had taken 16 years for the Lexington to get built after endless public consultations and pushbacks from councillors ….Dreams and clouds
By Anonymous
I love an architectural vision, regretfully in Liverpool they so rarely translate to reality. Good luck on this
By Tannoy
SimpsonHaugh is bad news. Liverpool’s waterfront would risk resembling Manchester’s Deansgate square but on Mersey. Same old mediocre designs, same old tacky cladding which has become SimpsonHaugh’s trademark. The latter has done enough damage to Manchester in my view. This is a recipe for disaster. This is not what Liverpool needs. Liverpool needs a world renowned architect like Norman Foster and partners people who know how to build creative and often beautiful skyscrapers that will shine on the world stage. I fear that the Liverpool authorities do not have that ambition. If Liverpool does not get this right, the city will be stuck with ugly skyscrapers for the next 20-30 years.
By John
Take inspiration from NYC Singapore Sydney Brisbane Tokyo not our out of date neighbours
By Anonymous
@John 6.50pm, if as you say SimpsonHaugh is bad news how come they are prolific architects not just in Manchester but in London, Birmingham, etc.
By Anonymous
Hi anonymous – SimpsonHaugh are hardly prolific architects. Outside Manchester no notable buildings to date save the very unremarkable eyesore that is Blackfriars in London. If Liverpool’s waterfront is as exceptional as they claim, then only an exeptional architect should be chosen and I believe the man for the job is Norman Foster, the most prolific architect in the world and the best at building skyscrapers.
By John
@7.26pm, re One Blackfriars, coming in by train from South London it was always a pleasure to observe this tower. You are welcome to your views but SimpsonHaugh is a respected architect, described as one of the UKs most influential by no less than the Architects Journal.
We are lucky in Liverpool to have someone like TJ Morris willing to invest in his home city and help build it back into a confident place once more.
By Anonymous
I have been reading the comments on SimpsonHaugh here for some time most of which are very critical of his work. To my knowledge, SH has never built anything outside the UK If he is so influential, we would see his work in continental Europe or in the US where I
live. I would like to see more of David Chipperfield’s work in Manchester and Liverpool. His is a prolific architect working mainly in Berlin, Milan and other major cities in Europe.
By John