A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of construction on a key project at Liverpool's Paddington Village.

Paddington Village is a £1 billion expansion scheme east of the city centre which will be a key part of one of the UK's leading innovation districts – incorporating new science, technology, education and health space. The 30-acre space will be situated in the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) Mayoral Development Zone and delivered in three phases: Paddington Central, Paddington South and Paddington North.

Morgan Sindall Construction is taking the lead with several projects as part of the first Central phase on behalf of Liverpool City Council.

The latest project will see a 221 bed Novotel hotel built on the site of a now relocated secondary school. This £38 million scheme is designed by Ryder Architecture and will be located on the corner plot facing the New Royal Hospital and University of Liverpool campus.

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Work has already begun on a multi-storey car park with a low-carbon combined heat and power (CHP) energy centre located on the ground floor. Designed by architects KKA, the building will be located on the Elm Grove site within Paddington Village Central.

Morgan Sindall Construction's other projects at Paddington Village Central include the design and build of the new £35 million northern headquarters of the Royal College of Physicians, The Spine, set for completion next year.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, said: "Paddington Village is going to be a real game changer to the city's economy and will help drive the Liverpool Powerhouse for decades to come. This new hotel is a pivotal part of the jigsaw on the central plot and I'm delighted work has now begun to make it a reality. 2020 is going to be a huge year for Paddington Village as so many of the schemes - like The Spine - complete and we start to witness its blossoming into a world-leading innovation district."

Richard Potts, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, added: "Today represents another significant and celebratory occasion for our team on the Paddington Village project. What's being created within this development will be incredibly important for the future of Liverpool, and we envisage this hotel being a key factor in enabling people to visit Paddington Village in order to tap into the resources, skills and knowledge available within what will be one Europe's most important innovation districts. This is a hugely exciting time, and we look forward to working with our project partners throughout 2020 to help fulfil Liverpool City Council's bold vision for the scheme."

(CM/MH)