Construction of Wirral Waters business hub nears with contractor appointment
GMI Construction has been appointed as the contractor for Peel L&P’s £7.7m state-of-the-art business hub at Wirral Waters.
The three-storey BREEAM Excellent-rated office complex, No 1 Tower Road South, will be the first speculative commercial office space to be built in Birkenhead for more than a decade.
The £7.7m project will create a distinct and flexible workspace for existing local businesses to grow and for new businesses to locate in the Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone.
The development plays a key part in Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters masterplan and will pave the way for considerable economic growth and job creation in Wirral.
The announcement of Leeds-based GMI as the main contractor for the build follows recent news that Peel L&P, with support from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, has secured funding for the project from CBRE and Merseyside Pension Fund.
Peel L&P has appointed commercial property specialists, Matthews & Goodman and Avison Young, as joint letting agents for No 1 Tower Road South.
Construction will commence soon on the 34,000 sq ft workspace. The Grade A flexible office accommodation will include smaller office units, co-working space and larger 3,000-4,000 sq ft suites.
The new development, which is expected to create approximately 113 jobs, will be located on a key waterside site at Wirral Waters, offering tenants views across to Liverpool’s skyline and will support the demand for quality workspace among the region’s small business sector.
As well as the new office complex, the Four Bridges neighbourhood will see the development of Egerton Village, a hub for retail, amenities and the arts, and the Maritime Knowledge Hub which will provide a national base for marine engineering research and development and survival training as well as business accelerator space for the marine sector.
Richard Mawdsley, director of development at Wirral Waters, welcomed GMI Construction on to the project, saying: “GMI Construction has a proven track record of delivering high-quality, award-winning projects so we are very pleased to have appointed them to deliver No 1 Tower Road South at Wirral Waters.
“The office complex has been designed to meet the highest standards of sustainability and digital connectivity, so will make an excellent home for forward-thinking, aspirational small businesses.”
He added: “No 1 Tower Road South marks another step forward in the delivery of Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters masterplan and will play a central role in the further development of the Four Bridges neighbourhood over the coming years.”
Marc Banks, divisional managing director at GMI Construction, said: “We are delighted to be working with our valued client Peel L&P on this fantastic, contemporary and sustainably designed office development. It is great that GMI is able to play a role in such a key scheme that will help with regeneration and economic growth in Wirral.”
The design of No 1 Tower Road South will be in keeping with the £10.5m Wirral Metropolitan College building next door, which was recognised with a number of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) architectural awards, as both buildings have been designed by Glenn Howells Architects.
No 1 Tower Road South is a key part of the development at Wirral Waters, one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK which is set to transform the 500-acre waterside site into a sustainable location for local and international businesses.
Over the next 30 years, Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters will create more than 20,000 permanent jobs for the Liverpool City Region, as well as offering new housing opportunities.
Businesses based at No 1 Tower Road South will benefit from excellent transport links with the A41 and A554, leading to the Wirral Peninsula Road and the M53 motorway network, as well as to Liverpool city centre via the Queensway Tunnel.
The building is also in close proximity to Woodside bus and ferry terminals, Hamilton Square and Birkenhead town centre.
