Elliot Group’s Infinity will see a trio of towers of 39, 33 and 27 stories rise from the ground, comprising 1,002 new homes and 10,000 sq ft of commercial space. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool’s £250m Infinity residential project close to the waterfront is moving on to its next phases with the installation of the tallest crane in the city.

Main contractor on Elliot Group’s Infinity scheme, Vermont, has installed the 262-foot crane, which will rise to 475 feet part-way through the build, which will see a trio of towers of 39, 33 and 27 stories rise from the ground.

When complete Infinity will comprise 1,002 new homes and 10,000 sq ft of commercial space. The biggest of the three towers, designed by Falconer Chester Hall, will be the third-highest in Liverpool and will provide 416 new homes.

The crane, provided by Select Plant Hire, has a maximum lifting capacity of 16 tonnes, although the crane driver uses his judgement with regards to the weight of each lift based on prevailing wind conditions. 

Work will stop if wind speeds go past 30 miles per hour, with specialised monitoring equipment atop the crane’s cab feeding information to the site managers below.

“This is one of our largest developments to date and the crane going up is a key milestone for the project,” said Elliot Lawless of Elliot Group. “It’s all systems go now.  Sales of apartments in our second tower are ahead of expectations and it’ll be a great day when all three towers are complete.”

The crane driver will enjoy views as far as Snowdon and Coniston Old Man from his air-cooled cab, which is also fitted with an ergonomically-designed seat to protect his back during his nine-hour shift.