Green light for The Spine in Liverpool

The grant of planning permission for The Royal College of Physicians’ (RCP) new £35m northern headquarters has been hailed by the president of the professional body.The Spine, which takes its name from a staircase on its north elevation that resembles human vertebrae, will be a 160,000 sq ft building in Knowledge Quarter Liverpool.Planning permission has now been granted by Liverpool City Council and the building is on track for completion in 2020. Located within the £1bn Paddington Village development, the bottom three and top four storeys of The Spine will become a new 70,000 sq ft centre of clinical excellence for the RCP, with the remaining seven floors offering a range of workspaces designed to meet the needs of organisations in the health, science and education sectors.Once complete, the £1bn Paddington Village will comprise homes, workspaces, laboratories, cafes, restaurants, a hotel, shops and events space.The masterplan for the project was inspired by the likes of New York’s Greenwich Village.