University halts £100m Liverpool campus project as costs soar

Aaron Morby 6 years ago
Share

Liverpool John Moores University has gone back to the drawing board after the costs of a major student scheme soared by over a third.

The University had appointed Lendlease to deliver the £100m-plus project to convert the former Royal Mail sorting office on Copperas Hill into a major new campus site.

But now the University has abandoned the present plans and will go back to the drawing board.

In an email to staff university Vice Chancellor Nigel Weatherill said that since December 2015 the estimated cost of the project had soared by 35% making the proposed refurbishment plan no longer a viable option.

A statement from LMJU said: “Liverpool John Moores University has announced it will be revising plans for the Copperas Hill development due to changes in the external environment which have resulted in significantly increased costs.

“The University has taken the decision to consider new design proposals for the site after deciding that the additional funds needed for the major refurbishment of the Royal Mail building would have a significant impact on the student experience, and would affect plans for redevelopment elsewhere on the LJMU estate.

“The University remains committed to the Copperas Hill site being a major catalyst development for students and the City of Liverpool and will propose new plans for the site early in the New Year.”

Copperas HIll

 

The gateway scheme next to Lime Street train station was planned to bring together the University’s Mount Pleasant and Byrom Street campuses.

Lendlease was already on site undertaking enabling works. Presently spread over five floors, the new building was to have been expanded to include two mezzanine floors and use of the roof for sports and recreation. This would have increased the floor area from the existing 280,000 sq ft to 355,000 sq.ft.

The design team for the project comprises BDP Architects, Curtins Structural Engineers and Arup Building Services Engineer.

Latest news

HS2 Euston needs full design reset as costs set to double

Spending watchdog warns Euston stop-start delay will simply inflate already ballooning costs
1 hour ago

Bid rigging: Keltbray to appeal and so could Squibb

Both contractors "disappointed" with level of fines
3 days ago

Ten demolition firms fined £60m for bid rigging

Full details of fines with Erith and Keltbray hardest hit
4 days ago

Retail contractor J M Scully files administration notice

£23m turnover Dorset based contractor lodges court notice
3 days ago

Civils specialist M Lambe delivers record performance

Housing civils specialist seeks to diversify in face of challenging housing market
3 days ago

Willmott Dixon clinches £60m Oxford Brookes University job

Preparation work starts on two new buildings at Headington Hill campus
3 days ago

Ferns seals £50m+ Openreach network services deal

Five-year south west deal to provide civils, poling and complex manhole programme
3 days ago

20 firms win £4.5bn Southern construction framework

A dozen new firms secure spots on fifth generation public sector deal
4 days ago

Call grows for bolder 18m second staircase rule for flats

Architects, surveyors and builders professional trade bodies demand lower height threshold than proposed 30m
4 days ago

GRS Roadstone warns staff following cyber attack

Materials giant sends out letters highlighting the extent of the attack
4 days ago

Inland Homes to suspend shares as results delayed again

Auditors need more time to go through embattled house builder's books
4 days ago

Kier wins £73m Southport events centre job

Local supply chain set to benefit from major new project
4 days ago

Multiplex profit rebounds as margin restored to 2.9%

London tower builder predicts return to revenue growth this year as major schemes advance
4 days ago

Upbeat Vistry to re-open mothballed offsite factory

Former Countryside timber panel factories rebranded Vistry Works in revived drive to deliver 5,000 units a year
5 days ago

Builder crushed and blinded in wall collapse

Property owner in court after barn conversion goes horribly wrong
4 days ago

Keltbray bags £140m haul of energy infrastructure work

Specialist secures trio of power frameworks, two battery storage facilities and an energy from waste package
5 days ago

Government awards £1.8bn for energy retrofit schemes – list

Housing and public building decarbonising funds awards to support 20,000 construction jobs
5 days ago

Landmark London scheme switches from flats to student rooms

Regal London rethinks Old Kent Road scheme with 900 student rooms and 220 affordable homes
5 days ago

Align reveals designs for final portal of HS2 tunnel

Contractor confirms how final key structure on project will look
5 days ago

Plans in for 1.4m sq ft of industrial space at Fiddlers Ferry

Peel NRE to appoint demolition contractors for coal-fired power station in weeks
5 days ago

Tilbury Douglas to replace hospital hit by weak concrete

Stoke-on-Trent outpatients building containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete to be replaced
6 days ago

Derby picked as destination for Great British Railways HQ

Public vote secures Derby's bid to be nerve centre of the rail industry
6 days ago

London tower over historic Leadenhall market approved

Building work to start in 2025 on 32-storey tower by historic city market
6 days ago

PfH starts race for £520m housing decarbonising deal

Four-year framework covers service specific lots from £5m to £100m
6 days ago

“Rock solid” balance sheet and record results for Henry Boot

Firm sees early signs of recovery this year in core markets
6 days ago

£200m Edinburgh Haymarket office and hotel approved

Haymarket Yards scheme to move to construction in 2024
6 days ago

Countryside closes deal for £80m build to rent homes

Deal with private rental developer Sigma to speed up delivery at two sites
6 days ago

Wates commercial director joins Caddick

Neil Trubshaw one of a string of appointments as contractor looks to expand across the north
6 days ago

Fusion21 names 16 winners for £125m painting framework

Latest deal will last four-years for public sector clients
6 days ago

Watkin Jones breaks ground on Cardiff 700 flats scheme

Largest build-to-rent scheme in Wales gets underway
7 days ago

Contractor services