Search for Liverpool Grade A office developer underway

A developer is being sought to transform a 1.2 hectare plot into new Grade A office space in Liverpool’s business district.

Liverpool City Council acquired the Pall Mall site earlier this year and is now inviting applications from interested firms across Europe who could create 400,000 sq ft of accommodation.

The plot, previously owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), is part public realm and part car park and was formerly home to part of the city’s historic Exchange Street train station.

The station opened in 1850 but closed in 1977 when the Merseyrail underground was completed.

Demand for high specification office accommodation in the commercial district has been highlighted within the Liverpool’s 15-year Strategic Investment Framework.

The local authority is looking to feature the office space in a wider mixed-use scheme at the site alongside a hotel and apartments.

The development would also connect to the existing St Paul’s Square site, which is already home to a number of major firms including US Airways, Hill Dickinson and Maersk.

The entire Pall Mall area which is being earmarked for a mixed-use regeneration spans 4.2 hectares within Liverpool city centre’s Enterprise Zone and would be worth £200 million. It also has the potential to create in excess of 1,000 jobs.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson says: “We know that we need more top quality office accommodation in Liverpool and this site is in the right location, next to the existing commercial district and a stone’s throw away from the Merseyrail underground.

“As a growing city, it is vital we have the right office space available in the right place and Pall Mall is part of a natural expansion of the commercial district.

“We’ve already seen huge success in securing the northern headquarters of The Royal College of Physicians at the expanded Knowledge Quarter, and this is another opportunity to create accommodation that will attract employers offering high quality jobs.”

Work is underway on a plan to clear the site for development.