The Liverpool office of national contractor GRAHAM has won the tender to construct No.1 Kings, the 28-storey ‘pathfinder’ tower for the £1.2 billion Kings waterfront development in the city.

Designed by Brock Carmichael Architects, the building received planning approval in February, with detailed negotiations involving shortlisted contractors taking place in the months since.

The contract will see the delivery of 255 new homes for rent, alongside ground floor retail, first-floor resident amenities and rooftop social spaces for a scheme with a GDV of £80 million. Metropolitan Demolition has now cleared the site, which sits at the northern boundary of the eight-acre development zone.

Hugh Frost, chairman of Beetham Davos Limited, says the appointment represents ‘a pivotal moment’ for the wider Kings project.

“We’ve fired the starting gun and continue to push on with the Kings development in the background,” he said. “The tower is fully-funded by the project’s shareholders, so the market can see confidence in the vision. No.1 Kings will raise the bar as far as design, fit-out and amenities go. Its delivery will underpin our discussions with end-users for the Kings development and be a catalyst for wider redevelopment.

“Our vision has captured the city’s imagination, with our political leaders very supportive of the ambition. We’re working hard on the detail now for the Kings masterplan. In the meantime, it’s great to have the GRAHAM team on board, who impressed us with their commitment and their enthusiasm to be part of the transformational redevelopment Kings represents.”

Commenting on the appointment, Peter Reavey, regional director for GRAHAM, added: “Kings is the largest single regeneration project outside London and there’s no doubt it will be a game-changer for Liverpool’s economy.

“We’re delighted to once again have the opportunity to demonstrate our high rise, build to rent capabilities in the city and are now busy mobilising to meet the client’s timescales.

“We’ll be submitting a masterplan hybrid application in early 2027 seeking detailed consent for four of the initial buildings, including hotel, residential and leisure uses, and outline consent for the remaining proposed towers.”

The application will include five residential towers, the five-star hotel with branded residences, a four-star hotel, Grade A offices, plus shared workspace for start-ups and tech businesses, along with a range of food, beverage and leisure outlets.

Brock Carmichael are the masterplan architects for Kings, with SimpsonHaugh designing the potentially 70-storey centrepiece revealed at this year’s MIPIM international property congress in Cannes in March.

Pegasus Group is providing planning, economics, heritage and EIA Services, with Planit leading on public realm design. WSP is advising on highways.

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