Infinity Waters

Infinity Waters (also Infinity Towers or simply Infinity) is a complex of three residential towers whose construction is currently on hold in Liverpool, United Kingdom of 39, 33 and 27 storeys respectively. The largest two towers will reach skyscraper height; Tower A will become the third tallest structure in Liverpool at 122.8 m (403 ft).[3] Located on a 7,700m2 brownfield site in the Vauxhall district, bordering the northern edge of the city centre, the development is costing £250 million.[4]

Infinity Waters
Concept image
General information
StatusOn hold (since Q1 2020)
TypeResidential
LocationLiverpool, United Kingdom
AddressLanyork Road
Liverpool
L3 6JB
Coordinates53.4128642°N 2.9941112°W / 53.4128642; -2.9941112
Construction startedQ1 2019
Estimated completionUnknown
Cost£250,000,000
HeightTower A: 123 m (404 ft)[1]
Tower B: 105 m (344 ft)[1]
Tower C: 87 m (285 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor count39, 33, 27
Floor area51,348 m2 (552,700 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architecture firmFalconer Chester Hall
DeveloperElliot Group
Structural engineerWSP[2]
Main contractorVermont

One year into construction, work on the project stalled[5] and as of Q3 2023, it remains on hold. It was originally due to complete in 2022.[4]

Timeline

In June 2016, concept designs for Infinity were originally revealed publicly by developers Elliot Group; designed by architects Falconer Chester Hall, they consisted of three glazed towers of equal height, at 34 storeys apiece. Negotiations then began with Liverpool City Council planning officers.[6] In December, it was revealed permission had been sought, but with a revised design, most notably staggering the heights of the towers to 39, 33 and 27 storeys respectively.[3] Planning permission was approved in April 2017.[7]

Mees Demolition Group began work to clear the site of existing structures in April 2018.[8] In July, Elliot Group announced Vermont Group had beaten Forrest to the construction contract.[2]

After "beavering away behind the hoardings for weeks", Vermont started work on the foundations of Tower A in March 2019, using two rigs to drill concrete piles to a depth of 18 metres.[9] In June, a crane was installed to be on site for 18 months.[10][11] By August, the in situ concrete frame had been erected for much of the structure below ground level,[12] and by November, up to level 5, with drainage work also underway.[13]

In December 2019, the head of Elliot Group, Elliot Lawless, was arrested by Merseyside Police as part of a fraud investigation; he was released on bail without charge.[14] Amid the ongoing probe, Vermont and Elliot Group agreed to suspend work on site in January 2020.[5][15] However, due to the investigation, further development funds could not be raised.[16] Subsequently, the scheme fell into administration in March.[17][18] In April, the on-site crane was dismantled.[19] In October 2021, 18 months later, it was reported that administrators had awarded the contract to a new developer, Legacie Developments, subject to legal clearances.[20] However, in February 2022, the result of these legal challenges saw a judge rule in favour of a last minute bid from a consortium of investors – that the scheme should instead be sold to them instead.[21] In autumn 2022, this group (comprising 213 of the 273 original investors) completed the takeover of the site, in a deal worth £5.9 million;[22] a Council report classified the project as a "stalled scheme currently not progressing".[23] In June 2023, the investor consortium claimed it was close to resolving the site's final lease-based impediments, and was determining whether to continue "building out the towers" or sell off the site to recoup loses.[24]

Design

The towers will consist of 1,002 apartments – a mix of one, two and three bedroom units and studios, starting from the third floor.[4] Amenities will include a spa, gym, swimming pool, cinema room, communal gardens, car parking, a lounge, meeting rooms and private dining, found on the floors below; the three towers are to be connected by an external 'podium' at second floor level to allow access to the facilities located in each block and is host to the garden space. There is also a small amount of office and commercial space planned in Tower C.

  • Crane at the site; August 2019
    Crane at the site; August 2019
  • The construction site whilst stalled; July 2022
    The construction site whilst stalled; July 2022

References
  1. "Infinity, Lanyork Road, Liverpool – Elevation 01". Elliot Group. September 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  2. Schouten, Charlie (24 July 2018). "Elliot picks Vermont for first phase of £250m Infinity". Place North West. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  3. Houghton, Alistair (22 December 2016). "Stunning new plans for £250m triple towers in Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  4. "November 2019" (PDF). LIVERPOOL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT UPDATE. Liverpool, England: Regenerating Liverpool. November 2019. pp. 7, 8. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. "Liverpool high-rise developments halted amid fraud probe". BBC News. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  6. Parry, Josh (21 June 2016). "34-Storey 'triple tower' could be coming to Liverpool". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  7. "PLANNING Approval for high rise Liverpool towers". Place North West. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. Traynor, Luke (2 April 2018). "Work to start on 'triple towers' set to transform Liverpool's skyline". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. "Piling starts for first Infinity tower". Place North West. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. Houghton, Tom (20 June 2019). "Crane for huge new tower to transform Liverpool's skyline appears on Leeds Street". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  11. "Infinity Project Moves to Next Phase". Elliot Group. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  12. "Construction Update – Infinity – August 2019". Vermont Group. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  13. "Construction Update – Infinity Liverpool – November 2019". Vermont Group. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  14. Middleton-Pugh, Jessica (19 December 2019). "Council director and developer arrested on suspicion of fraud". Place North West. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  15. "Police investigation prompts suspension of works on Liverpool schemes". The Construction Index. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  16. McDonough, Tony (13 March 2020). "Work on two Liverpool schemes may restart despite police probe". Liverpool Business News. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  17. McDonough, Tony (13 March 2020). "Elliot Group puts two Liverpool projects worth £350m into administration". Liverpool Business News. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  18. Kelly, Megan (13 March 2020). "Three projects fall into administration after developer's arrest". Construction News. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  19. Duffy, Tom (16 April 2020). "Tower crane removed from stalled Elliot Lawless site". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  20. "Legacie closes in on pair of stalled Elliot schemes". Place North West. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  21. Duffy, Tom (25 February 2022). "Investors vow 'swift and aggressive action' against Elliot Lawless after court victory". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  22. Whelan, Dan (1 November 2022). "Investor group takes control of 1,000-home Liverpool scheme". Place North West. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  23. Strategic Development & Housing Select Committee (1 December 2022). "City Centre Stalled Sites" (PDF). Liverpool City Council. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  24. Whelan, Dan (16 June 2023). "Investors seek to iron out final issues at 1,000-home Infinity". Place North West. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
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