Mersey Reporter - #Merseybites #News

LIVERPOOL City Council has welcomed a multi million pound boost for its life sciences hub and 1 of the City's well loved markets.

In a speech on:- Friday, 1 March 2024, at the Convention of The North conference, Michael Gove the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities announced a £31m investment package for Liverpool.

Secretary of State for DLUHC, Michael Gove, MP, said:- "We know there is immense potential for urban regeneration in Liverpool and the wider City Region. That is why the vision set out in the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel report is so important. And that’s why we are backing it today it with £31m of new money for regeneration projects, which trace an arc of opportunity from the Knowledge Quarter to Bramley Moore Docks on the waterfront."

The majority of the funding will be spent on the major development at Paddington Village in the heart of the City's 450 acre Knowledge Quarter Innovation District, with the Minister stating the Government's support for an:- "arc of opportunity" across the City to Bramley Moore Dock.

Liverpool City Council set out its investment proposal to DLUHC late last year and this announcement follows the Interim Report of the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel, chaired by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.

The new funding will see:-

Upto £13m spent on delivering HEMISPHERE One; a new 8-storey Grade A office which will include up to five floors of new labs and promote net zero principles in Paddington Village.
Upto £13m to acquire sites (such as Smithdown Lane Police Station) and remediate and masterplan phase 2 of Paddington Village - Paddington South.
Upto £5m to enable an upgrade for Great Homer Street Market in Everton, which will allow for its expansion to attract more traders.

HEMISPHERE One, is a £60m scheme to be delivered by Sciontec, which is a partnership between the Council, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and Bruntwood SciTech.

Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said:- "We are delighted that the Government has endorsed our plans and is willing to invest in Paddington Village in our Knowledge Quarter. This investment will help to accelerate the City's future as a world leading science and innovation hub. This funding is also a huge vote of confidence in our vision to be one of Europe's leading centres for research and development in the life sciences. HEMISPHERE One is going to be a fantastic asset to the City, creating much needed lab based jobs for decades to come. The other tranche of funding will ensure we can develop the second phase of Paddington Village and enhance the City's overall appeal to attract further investment and more jobs. In addition, the funding for Great Homer Street Market is equally welcome as this will ensure we can grow this vital community asset in north Liverpool. Today's announcement is another sign of our growing relationship with Whitehall and Westminster which bodes well for further plans to grow the City's economy."

The 115,000 sq ft scheme will include 80,000 sq ft of lab space in the building’s top five floors, in line with the Liverpool City Region’s Health and Life Sciences Investment Zone vision.

Colin Sinclair, CEO of Sciontec Developments Limited and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said:- "It is great news that Liverpool has been able to unlock additional funding for further development of its innovation infrastructure. This is a clear and deserved recognition of the enormous strides we have taken as a trailblazer in health and life sciences innovation and our potential for further success. The world class laboratory and workspace created at HEMISPHERE will play a pivotal role in that continued success and an expanded Paddington Village will be the engine room for the delivery of wider Investment Zone plans for the next decade and beyond."

Construction of HEMISPHERE One is expected to begin in early 2025 and be complete by early 2027.