A £9m upgrade of Liverpool’s Lime Street was entering its final phases but now the main contractor has collapsed into administration. Tony McDonough reports

A £9m upgrade of Liverpool’s Lime Street could be delayed by months after the scheme’s main contractor collapsed into administration.

Liverpool City Council said it was seeking clarification after it was confirmed NMCN had collapsed after unsuccessfully trying to finalise a £24m recapitalisation of the business. It has filed notice that it will appoint Grant Thornton as administrator.

In a statement, the company said: “NMCN today announces that the board of the company, having taken advice, has concluded that the company is no longer able to continue trading as a going concern.”

Work on the Lime Street scheme, part of the city council’s £47m Liverpool City Centre Connectivity programme, began last October. The street, home to St George’s Hall and the Empire Theatre, will be reduced to a single carriageway in each direction. There will be improved access or pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers.

It will also see changes to the way bus services work in the city centre, with all but a limited number of routes now terminating at either Queens Square or Liverpool ONE bus station. These changes will then allow the city’s new Bus Hub to become fully operational.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, the city council said: “We’ve been made aware that the contractor for Lime Street may have entered into administration. Officers have been tasked with securing Lime St and making it safe, while we await formal confirmation. We are seeking clarification to inform our next steps.”

The Lime Street designs also include the installation of a water feature at the southern end of the plateau. It will also see a widened, boulevard style pavement running the entire length up to the Adelphi Hotel, which sits within the newly branded Upper Central gateway leading to the city’s Knowledge Quarter.