Former police station in Liverpool is demolished to pave the way for new development as part of the £1bn Knowledge Quarter project. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool’s £1bn Knowledge Quarter (KQ Liverpool) is set to enter a new phase following the demolition of the former Smithdown Lane Police Station.
KQ Liverpool’s Paddington Village scheme has seen an area just outside the main city centre, and close to Baltic Triangle, transformed into a hub for the science sector and is backed by both the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University.
In May 2021 The Spine office building, costing £44m, opened its doors offering 155,000 sq ft of space. The Royal College of Physicians, 70,000 sq ft across seven of the 14 floors. A Novotel hotel has also been opened.
Major developments are proposed at Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, where two new buildings – HEMISPHERE One and HEMISPHERE Two – will provide additional commercial laboratory space and will cost more than £100m.
This particular part of the site where the former police station was located is known as Paddington South. Now a masterplan is being coordinated by Liverpool City Council and the University of Liverpool.
Central to the nine-acre scheme, backed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will be a revamped public green space around Grove Street, with the aim of improving biodiversity by 10%.
Through the demolition of Smithdown Lane Police Station, lead contractor Morgan Sindall Construction has aimed to recycle and reuse as much of the existing materials as possible.
Working in partnership with local charity ReciproCity, existing furniture from the building was recycled and donated to local charities and businesses, which avoided in excess of 250 office desks and chairs along with other furniture from going to landfill.
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Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “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.
“It builds on our existing strengths in life sciences, robotics engineering and materials chemistry.
“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.
“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.”