FIRMS 111 MILLION POUND PARADISE DEAL

17 Mar 2007 

CONSTRUCTION group Balfour Beatty has won contracts worth 111 Million Pounds to design and build part of Grosvenors huge Liverpool One retail project in Liverpool.

A division of the company, Balfour Beatty Construction, will act as the main contractor for the eastern part of the £920m Paradise Project.

Taking place on and around the site of the former Radio Merseyside Paradise Street base, the section will comprise 15 buildings including more than 50 new retail units, 160 apartments and three commercial buildings, together with 550 car parking spaces and the refurbishment of other buildings, including Liverpool’s oldest Grade II-listed warehouse, for retail use.

The work will involve other Balfour Beatty divisions, including Mansell, Balfour Kilpatrick, Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering and Stent Foundations.

Group chief executive Ian Tyler said: “This award demonstrates the all-round strength of the group and the increasing appeal of integrated solutions to deliver the infrastructure which our major customers need.”

In recent months, Balfour Beatty has reported a 20% rise in its order book to a record £9.1bn after it landed major deals including a £363m project to extend the East London Line late last year.

The firm is also involved in other projects in Merseyside including the £19m cruise liner facility and work on paving in the city centre.

Upon completion, Liverpool One will feature four retail districts, 30 individually-designed buildings, 1.4m sq ft of retail space, a 14-screen Odeon multiplex cinema, 230,000 square feet of restaurants, cafes and bars, together with more than 600 new apartments, two hotels, offices, a revitalised five-acre park, and new public transport interchange.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Liverpool’s first Novotel is to be built in Hanover Street as part of the Paradise Street project. Grosvenor has sold the site on one of its flagship streets to become home to the Novotel.

Local company Pedersen has bought the corner site in Hanover Street for an undisclosed figure and will be building the full service, 209-bedroom hotel. Opening is planned for early 2009.

tonymcdonough by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

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