New images show the inside of an historic tower as developers prepare for a £25m development to get the go-ahead.
The Central Hydraulic Tower is where developer Peel L&P is hoping to build a new research hub focused on making the maritime industry more environmentally friendly. The Maritime Knowledge Hub, which will cost £25m, would see the derelict building transformed into a hub for education, research and training complete with a café, work and lab space.
It’s expected to help create over 4,000 jobs as well as new training opportunities in supporting the regional maritime economy and is one of many projects Peel are investing in in Birkenhead.
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Richard Mawdsley, Peel L&P’s director for the Wirral Waters development, previously said the hub “would be a massive signifier of progress on this side of the water if we can refurbish that building. A symbol of the renaissance of the east bank on the Wirral.”
Planning permission for the new hub was submitted in June 2022 and Peel expects a decision to be made shortly. Once planning permission is given, Peel will then submit a business case for funding from the Liverpool City Region with the hope work can begin this year.
The tower and three storey engine house sits next to the A554 between the East Float quay and Alfred Dock in Birkenhead. Notably it was bombed during the Blitz in World War Two when Liverpool and Wirral's docklands became a target.
It was completed in 1863 and used steam to power the lifting of the bridges and docks in Birkenhead with the design of the building based on the world famous Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy.
Not all the damage sustained during the WWII blitz was repaired, with features such as a large lantern which sat atop of the tower never replaced - evidence of the destruction can be seen through the use of different coloured bricks during the repairs.
To prepare for the construction, Peel has been doing extensive surveys of the site to make sure there are no unexploded bombs (none have been found) as well as drilling cores up to 50 feet underground to better understand the foundations.
Currently the building is home to pigeons though traces of the heavy industry can be found with old tram tracks poking out of the weeds, soot on the walls, as well as the remains of the huge tanks which once held the steam used to power the dock's bridges.
Inside the boiler room housed six boilers while two engines pumped steam through the system in another room. These will become new recreational and work spaces. Behind the building, the old fans and pipes that pumped the steam remain.
To clear the site, Peel said it’s invested millions into the development to make sure it's safe while also cleaning it up, including two feet of bird poo. They said a lack of detail about the foundations under the building was the reason behind the extensive surveys and why the scheme has taken so long to take off.
Princess Anne, who is a patron of Maritime UK, has also been to visit the site in 2021 as well as more recently Baroness Charlotte Vere who is the Minister for aviation.
The hub will feature a cafe, lab space, a technology centre, survival training as well as “state of the art research and development facilities.” An observatory will also be created with views towards Liverpool and the rest of the Wirral Waters developments.
Richard Mawdsley, Peel L&P’s director of development at Wirral Waters, said: “Wirral and the Liverpool City Region have a proud maritime heritage and the development of the Maritime Knowledge Hub will not only continue that heritage, but it also presents a fantastic opportunity.”
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