Plans have been revealed for the tallest skyscraper in Liverpool – here’s where it will rank among the UK’s biggest buildings

Few British city sights can beat the glimmers of sunshine reflecting off the water at the historic Albert Royal Dock or the sun setting over Liverpool’s iconic gothic cathedral. And there will soon be a new vantage point from which you can feast your eyes on the city. 

Warning to anyone afraid of heights: this might not be the story for you. Liverpool is set to get a new 70-storey skyscraper, which will be the city’s tallest building. 

The tower block will be the centrepiece of the £1 billion Kings project on the waterfront. Plans for the tower include a 5-star hotel, which will make up the first 23 floors of the building, with the remaining 47 floors dedicated to private flats with killer views of the city. Bars, restaurants and gyms have been integrated into the building’s plans. Plus, a rooftop terrace will create some healthy competition for the city’s existing viewpoints (move over, Radio City).

The site’s property developer said that talks with a big hotel brand are ‘well underway’. If successful, the as-yet-unnamed hospitality giant would take over the whole building.

The skyscraper’s design apparently takes inspo from Liverpool’s industrial and naval history. Developers submitted the tower’s blueprint as part of a ‘masterplan’ for an eight-acre site to the north of the city’s famous Pier Head. The skyscraper is one of 10 buildings planned for the site, which is pitched as ‘a new neighbourhood for the UK’s most recognisable waterfront’. 

Beyond the main tower, the rest of the Kings development is set to get two hotels, Grade A offices, a new arts venue, shared workspace for start-ups and tech businesses and a range of food and drinks spots.

It’s too early to tell when construction will be finished, but a public consultation is set to take place in the spring before an expected planning submission in the summer. 

As for the all-important question of height, the new skyscraper will be Liverpool’s tallest at 221.5m, making the current record holder – the nearby West Tower which stands at 140 metres – look measly in comparison. 

The UK is home to 183 skyscrapers – which are defined as buildings used for living or working which are over 100m tall.

Once constructed, the Kings project’s pinnacle could be the UK’s tallest building outside of London, beating out Manchester’s Deansgate Square South Tower, which currently holds the top spot, by 20 metres. 

But Liverpool's tower may be overshadowed before it's even built, because of plans for a 78-storey skyscraper measuring a whopping 272m high in Salford, Greater Manchester. That project will be home to the third largest building in Britain, taking the bronze spot from One Canada Square in London’s Canary Wharf.

The current top 10 tallest buildings outside London

1. Deansgate Square South Tower, Manchester: 201m
   
2. Trinity Heights, Manchester: 183m
   
3. Vista River Gardens, Manchester: 169m
   
4. Beetham Tower, Manchester: 169m
   
5. Deansgate Square East Tower, Manchester: 158m
   
6. The Octagon, Birmingham: 155m
   
7. One Eastside, Birmingham: 155m
   
8. Three60, Manchester: 154m
   
9. The Blade, Manchester: 153m
   
10. Elizabeth Tower, Manchester: 153m

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Plus: Manchester is getting a spectacular new entertainment venue with music, sport, food, drink and more.