Liverpool Central Library’s £50m face lift revealed

INSPIRE Partnership has been chosen for the £50m redevelopment of Liverpool Central Library and Archive, with work expected to start next summer.

Liverpool City Council, which released the first images of the development today, has chosen a joint venture partnership including Amber Infrastructure and Shepherd Construction for the private finance initiative (PFI) contract.

Central Library, in Liverpool’s cultural quarter on William Brown Street, has gradually fallen into disrepair and suffers from damp and a leaking roof.

Under the scheme, the Grade II listed parts of the building which date back to 1850, including the façade and Picton, Hornby and Oak Reading Rooms, will be restored to their former glory.

The sections behind the façade, which were built in the 1950s and 1970s following World War II bomb damage, will be demolished and rebuilt to make the most of the available space. 

Council leader Warren Bradley said: “This is the biggest ever single investment in the city’s library service and will create a stunning building the whole city can be proud of.

“A tremendous amount of work has gone into getting to this stage and the project board looked extremely carefully at each of the bids before making a recommendation.

“This scheme will enable us to upgrade and restore the much loved historic parts of the building, creating a first-class 21st century facility which is right at the heart of the city’s cultural quarter.”

The project will include a new home for the Liverpool Record Office which will house 14km of archives and some of the city’s most historic treasures from the last 800 years – such as the original 1207 charter.

The Inspire Partnership includes Amber Infrastructure, International Public Partnerships, Shepherd Construction, architects Austin-Smith Lord, William Anelay, Buro Happold and Cofely.

Mike Leto from Inspire Partnership and Amber Infrastructure said: “The Inspire Partnership team is truly proud to have been awarded this opportunity to deliver a world class library experience for the City of Liverpool and to contribute an outstanding feature of historical, aesthetic and cultural importance to the Liverpool landscape.”

The building is due to close in June 2010, and will take three months to empty completely before construction work commences.

A full planning application to redevelop the library will be made on November 23 and a four week public consultation event will be held in Central Library throughout December.