Work is due to begin within days on the £60m Pall Mall Project in Liverpool which will provide more than 100,000 sq ft of grade A office space – the first new space in the commercial district for 14 years. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool City Council has revealed that enabling works on the £60m Pall Mall office scheme are set to begin within days.
Offering 111,500 sq ft of grade A office space, the first new space in the commercial district since the completion of St Paul’s Square 14 years ago, full construction of Pall Mall is scheduled to start in 2027.
These works, which will start before the end of the month, will prepare the site for development and include the demolition of the former electricity substation, which has already been decommissioned and is no longer operational.
In July LBN reported how Liverpool City Council and its development partner Kier Property have chosen VINCI, which is already working on major council-led projects in Southport, Bootle and St Helens.
Days later we revealed that efforts to find a private funder for the project had floundered so the scheme will now be funded entirely by the public sector.
It t is proposed the city council will borrow £20.6m and add that to £22m from the Combined Authority’s £2bn investment fund. Another £15m will come from central Government and £1.9m from Section 106 payments will make up the rest.
Pall Mall was originally due to go ahead in 2019 with a pre-let from telecoms giant BT. However, following the pandemic BT reassessed its office needs and put the Liverpool letting on hold.
The appointment of VINCI, followed a two-stage tender process. Pall Mall will deliver net zero carbon-enabled office space alongside ground-floor retail and a new 0.5-acre green space.
Liverpool City Council said: “Momentum continues to build behind Liverpool’s landmark Pall Mall development, with enabling works due to begin by the end of this month ahead of the planned start of construction next year.
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“This marks another important milestone for the scheme as it moves from planning and design into delivery. Pall Mall is one of Liverpool’s most significant commercial development projects and forms a key part of the city’s ambitions to grow its commercial district.
“While largely unseen by future occupiers and visitors, enabling works are a vital stage in bringing major developments forward.”