Morgan Sindall Construction is the main contractor for the 16-storey hotel which is being built in Liverpool’s £2bn Knowledge Quarter. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool’s new £38m Novotel hotel in the city’s Knowledge Quarter has moved closer to completion after builders reached the highest point and ‘topped out’ the structure.
Main contractor Morgan Sindall Construction is building the 221-room hotel which will be the highest in Liverpool, rising to 16 storeys. It is located in Paddington Village within the 450-acre Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Mayoral Development Zone.
Paddington Village – one of Liverpool City Council’s biggest-ever regeneration schemes – is a £2bn expansion site east of the city centre. When complete it will be a key part of one of the UK’s leading innovation districts – incorporating new science, technology, education and health space.
The Novotel will be operated by global hospitality group, Accor. The design has been delivered by Ryder Architecture and the hotel’s public areas have been designed by Koncept, with Faithful+Gould serving as project managers.
Scheduled to open in spring 2022 and will be managed by Legacy Hotels & Resorts, an existing Accor partner. It is also the management company for Accor’s Pullman Liverpool located on the waterfront, part of ACC arena and convention centre complex.
Richard Potts, Liverpool area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Although we’ve not been able to mark the topping out of the Novotel in Paddington Village with a traditional ceremony, it’s still right that we celebrate what is an excellent achievement by everyone who has played a role in getting us this to this moment in the project.
“The hospitality sector will be crucial to supporting the economic recovery of the Liverpool city region in the wake of COVID-19, and we’re very proud to be playing our role in creating what is not only a visually dynamic new building, but also a source both of employment opportunities for local people and a destination that will welcome people from around the world to our wonderful city for many years to come.”
Morgan Sindall Construction’s other projects at the Knowledge Quarter include The Spine – the Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP) new £35m northern home – which is now approaching completion.
Acting Mayor for Liverpool, Cllr Wendy Simon, said: “The topping out of the new Novotel is the latest landmark moment for Paddington Village and for Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter.
“Despite the pandemic, progress at Paddington Village has been hugely impressive and its transformation over the past 12 months has been remarkable in the circumstances. We all look forward to the day when this new hotel opens and welcomes its first guests.”