Liverpool’s flagship Knowledge Quarter is going from strength to strength as work begins on the next key phase of the development. RWinvest reports that following a £160m government grant in April, the council is going ahead with the Paddington Village development in the Life Sciences zone, and also at Sci-Tech is Daresbury.
Padding Village is key to the expansion plans for the site, and will ultimately provide 1.8m square feet of office space, lab space and other facilities for Liverpool. As well as the emphasis on science and technology, the site will also encompass health, education and cultural facilities.
Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Growth and Economy, said: “The start of work at Paddington South is a landmark moment in our journey to ensuring Liverpool becomes one of Europe’s leading R&D centres in science innovation.
“An expanded Paddington Village is vital to the city’s future economic growth and to creating a conveyor belt of high skilled jobs. Once delivered, this former brownfield site will become the engine room for the delivery of our wider Investment Zone plans for the coming decade and beyond.”
The Knowledge Quarter regeneration project has been earmarked for a total of £1bn of investment and is intended to close the economic gap between the north west of the country and London and the south east. The city already has three world-leading areas of expertise, including materials chemistry, infection studies, and high performance and AI computing.
The area is defined as an Innovation District, of which there are a number across the UK that fall under the umbrella of the UK Innovation Districts Group. They are all based in urban areas, usually in larger towns and cities, and the aim is to create a network of knowledge-producing bodies such as universities, hospitals and cultural institutions.
These bodies are connected to the wider businesses and commercial districts of the area. This leads to a sharing of ideas, aims and objectives that can create an environment for innovation to thrive. Ultimately this grows the economy and attracts further investment, jobs, and resources to the area.
Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter encompasses a 450 acre site that is a base for start ups and established businesses, and institutions such as the universities and the NHS.
Professor Richard Black, Provost and deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Liverpool, added: “We are excited about the important opportunities offered by the development to enable a step-change in our research and development activities.”
“We are particularly passionate about the important benefits the development will have for our city in terms of jobs, reputation, wealth generation and more.”
Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter already supports about 14,000 jobs and this is expected to increase by 10,000 over the next decade, contributing over £1bn to the local economy.