Construction began this week on a new Grade A business hub located at No 1 Tower Road South at Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters.

(Cllr Cherry Povall JP, Cllr Janette Williamson, James Whittaker Executive Development Director for Peel L&P, Cllr Anita Leech, and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram at the ground breaking ceremony for hythe at Wirral Waters).

The new business hub, named Hythe – after the Old English for ‘a landing place or small harbour for ships or boats’ – is the first speculative office development in Birkenhead for a decade, offering over 25,000 sq ft of flexible, high-quality office space for local businesses. 

The Hythe name has been chosen to describe this next generation office space, which uses contemporary design to maximise the health and wellbeing of customers, offering a haven for entrepreneurs in the heart of Wirral Waters.

Designed by the award-winning Glenn Howells Architects, Hythe is being constructed by GMI Construction with completion expected in late 2021. The business hub has been designed to set new standards in sustainability and will have a BREEAM-Excellent rating, placing it in the top 10% of all buildings for green credentials. Hythe has also been designed to accommodate the latest innovations in digital connectivity.

Hythe has been funded by Peel L&P, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and the Merseyside Pension Fund advised by CBRE’s Investment Advisory team, part of CBRE Capital Advisors. The LCRCA funding comes via the Strategic Investment Fund to unlock job creation and to promote and accelerate economic growth for the Liverpool City Region.

Commenting on the commencement of construction, Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, said:

“We’ve invested in the Wirral Waters site to ensure that we’re able to keep offering outstanding facilities and as a catalyst to attract new businesses and jobs to the area.

“Not only will these new facilities be some of the most advanced office space in the region, they will also be some of the greenest and most sustainable.

“We will continue our investment programme to ensure our region has the best opportunity to emerge from Brexit and COVID to be in the best place possible to resist the economic aftershocks we will undoubtedly have to deal with.�

James Whittaker, Executive Development Director for Peel L&P, commented:

“We are very excited to have broken ground on another project at Wirral Waters. Hythe will offer companies a sustainable, green, well-connected place to do business, right in the heart of the UK’s biggest and most exciting regeneration project, Wirral Waters.�

Councillor Janette Williamson, Leader of Wirral Council, said:

“We are delighted to be associated with this innovative project. With the building work now underway, it is a clear signal that Wirral is open for business. We can meet the needs of forward-thinking enterprises which are looking for the right location, with the right property and infrastructure, to support their growth and underpin their environmental aspirations. Wirral is poised to undergo a considerable regeneration which will bring jobs, homes and leisure to our community and the development of Hythe is a significant step forward to achieving that ambition.�

Councillor Pat Cleary, Chair of Merseyside Pension Fund, said:

“This is an exciting project, and I am pleased that Merseyside Pension Fund has chosen to invest. This adds to our growing list of projects that support the economy on Merseyside. It is especially pleased to see that Hythe incorporates such strong environmental credentials into its design.�

Located next to the RIBA-Award winning Wirral Met Construction Campus, Hythe is the next development in the growing Four Bridges neighbourhood with the Kingsgate office complex and the proposed Maritime Knowledge Hub all within close proximity. Longer term, the Four Bridges neighbourhood will also be home to Egerton Village, a hub for retail, amenities and the arts. 

Work on Hythe will run alongside the current streetscaping works on Tower Road South, which are anticipated to complete in March 2021.

About Peel L&P – Realising possibility

We are an ambitious regeneration business with generations of history, heritage and expertise in our DNA. First established in 1971, Peel L&P is now responsible for some of the most transformational development projects in the UK today.

Owning and managing 12 million sq ft of property and 20,000 acres of land and water, our holdings are concentrated in the north west of England, but we also own and manage significant assets throughout the UK with a total portfolio value of £2.6 billion.

As part of the Peel Group; we are integral to a business that strives to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Our legacy matters. We take great pride in the outcomes we achieve, the people we work with, the way we go about our business and the transformational projects we deliver.

Our specialist teams have a proven track record in delivering high-quality, legacy projects across land, property, water and airspace. This includes airports, hotels, waterways, media hubs, event spaces, leisure facilities, retail, workspaces, residential development, industrial & logistical space, public realm, historic gardens and the renewable energy sector. We also believe a prosperous future depends on our ability to harness nature to create sustainable growth.

We reuse, repurpose and re-energise natural resources to develop and maintain vital infrastructure across the UK. From wind power, to waterways, to waste-to-fuel solutions, we own and operate assets, manage resources and develop energy solutions to serve our communities and our partners.

Through market-leading solutions, we support government and local authorities to reach their carbon reduction and waste management targets. We help businesses to achieve their commercial goals while managing the transition towards net-zero carbon. We engage local communities and support them in their ambition to thrive by re-energising regional economies.

Peel L&P is an agile and ambitious business with a legacy of success for a long-term sustainable future.

We see possibility. We deliver transformation.

For more information visit: www.peellandp.co.uk or follow us on Twitter: @PeelLandP

About Wirral Waters

Wirral Waters is a 500-acre site comprising former dockland which Peel inherited following the acquisition of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company in 2005.

Peel has launched a 30-year strategy which will see Wirral Waters become one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK.

It will transform the derelict site into a sustainable location for local and international businesses, creating more than 20,000 permanent jobs for the Liverpool City Region, as well as offering new housing opportunities.

The Wirral Waters project is supported by central government and was designated Enterprise Zone status in 2011 – one of the first four Enterprise Zones in the UK and known as the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone.

About the Local Growth Fund

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone.

That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

For more information visit: www.liverpoollep.org/funding/local-growth-fund/