Impressive drone footage showing how work is really going at the huge Paddington Village development has been revealed - as two planning applications for the site are submitted.
Morgan Sindall Construction has announced full proposals for the £40m, 221-bed Novotel hotel as well as a multi-storey car park have been put to Liverpool City Council.
The two sites will sit within the £1bn expansion scheme east of the city centre which, when complete, will be a key part of the 450-acre Knowledge Quarter - one of the UK’s leading districts for innovation incorporating science, technology, education and health.
This week, drone footage released by the city council has shown the state of play on site, with developments at various stages.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “This new hotel and the car park and energy centre are all vital to the completion of our Paddington Village site. They are crucial pieces of infrastructure needed to support all the amazing businesses that are flocking to this game-changing development.
“The city council is delighted with the progress to date and we are already looking at the next phases of expansion and how we can attract more high-quality companies and jobs to the city.”
At 30 acres, Paddington Village is being developed by the council in three phases, with these two plans among the first in Paddington Central.
Located on the corner plot facing the New Royal Hospital and university campus, the 13-storey, four-star hotel will be operated by Legacy Hotels and Resorts, comprising both short and long stay suites.
The application also includes plans for three flexible meeting spaces, a co-working space and a gym. There will also be a restaurant, bar, coffee bar and roof terrace.
The planning application for a multi-storey car park includes a combined heat and power energy centre on the ground floor, and has been resubmitted by architects KKA.
The building will be located on the Elm Grove site within Paddington Village Central, currently occupied by residential properties, which have been purchased by the council and will be demolished as part of preparatory works for the site.
Although the initial plans were approved last year, a subsequent analysis revealed a larger capacity for the car park was needed to meet the requirements of developments that will be built in Paddington Village.
The revised car park design has seen the facility increase from eight storeys to 12, enlarging the capacity from 1,088 to 1,245 bays - 12 of those with recharging bays for electric cars.
Barry Roberts, managing director of Morgan Sindall Construction, North West, said: “This is a milestone moment for Paddington Village. The revised plans for the car park reflect the requirement that the development is set to have higher levels of interest and popularity than previously anticipated, partly driven by the excellent standard of building the area will boast – as evidenced by the plans for the hotel."
Gareth Callen, a partner at Ryder Architecture, said: “The hotel will be a distinctive and attractive focal point on the prominent corner of Paddington Village and provides an unforgettable gateway into the city.”
Mark Roberts, director of KKA Architecture, said the “prestigious and significant” nature of the development was “instrumental in formulating design opportunities”.
