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Lendlease's £100m Liverpool university campus goes back to drawing board

Work on the proposed £100m campus development at Liverpool John Moores University (LMJU) has been halted after project costs have risen by 35%.

Developers Lendlease had been appointed on the project to convert the former Royal Mail sorting office on Copperas Hill into a university campus, with a cost of around £100m earmarked.

Joining LJMU’s Mount Pleasant and Byrom Street campuses, the 355,000 sq ft, five-storey development would have included two mezzanine floors and sports and recreation facilities.

However, according to Construction Enquirer, the university has now abandoned those plans and will go back to the drawing board after costs for the development continued to spiral.

An email sent to staff by Vice Chancellor Nigel Weatherill said that the projected cost of the project had risen by 35% since December meaning the specifics of the project would now be reconsidered.

A statement from the university 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.”

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