Merepark to complete Lewis’s Building regeneration
ALTRINCHAM-based Merepark Construction has secured the £26m contract to deliver the final phase of regeneration works at the Grade II listed Lewis’s Building, part of the £160m Central Village development in Liverpool.
The contract was awarded after a competitive tender and follows Merepark Construction’s successful completion of the first phase strip-out of the Lewis’s Building, which took 34 weeks to complete and involved the removal of 3,429 tonnes of debris and asbestos from all nine floors.
Work has now started on the Accor Adagio Hotel, retail leisure and office space as well as the new open-air link which runs through the Lewis’s Building and connects Renshaw Street to the heart of the development.
Scaffolding is now being erected on site and will cover the perimeter of the building by the New Year, in advance of external cleaning work to restore the building’s iconic façade. Work is well on track for the scheduled completion at the end of 2012.
Alex Moore, director at Merepark Construction, said: “To date work has been contained within the building but it’s the final phase that will see changes to the building’s exterior and give the people of Liverpool a real sense of the transformation that’s underway.
“This building is the linchpin for the rest of the Central Village scheme and we’re delighted to be playing such an instrumental role in its refurbishment.”
Max Steinberg, chief executive of Liverpool Vision, said: “Central Village will see the city’s retail and leisure improve further, acting as an important catalyst for additional regeneration work.”
Pre-lets at Central Village include the Odeon cinema, which is confirmed as the anchor tenant for the Boardwalk; Frankie & Benny’s; Handmade Burger Co and Chiquito. Accor’s Adagio Hotel, pan-Asian restaurant Cosmo and Italian restaurant Prezzo have signed for the Lewis’s building.
