ALMOST 200 building workers have been laid off after work stopped again at a £50m luxury flats scheme in Liverpool.
Construction group Laing O'Rourke said it suspended building work at the L1 development on the Baltic Triangle after talks with its client, Liverpool based Windsor Developments.
Negotiations between the two companies took place in London on Wednesday and will resume again today, but both sides declined to comment on reasons for the latest suspension, which follows another hold-up in June when builders were withdrawn from the job.
A Laing O'Rourke spokesman would only say: "Laing O'Rourke can confirm that on Monday, July 31, after discussions with its client, it suspended work on the L1 project in Liverpool."
A Windsor statement added: "We are in detailed discussions with Laing O'Rourke regarding the next phase."
But builders at the site told the ECHO, during their mid-morning break, that 40 staff were laid off a fortnight ago, 50 went last week and 100 more will be laid off this week.
"We're just stripping out the job now before we leave," said one, who asked not to be named.
Laing O'Rourke said they try to find alternative work for staff in such situations: "Some of the workers have moved off-site.
Laing O'Rourke always investigates opportunities to relocate staff to other projects and this process is underway," the spokesman said.
The L1 project comprises three blocks of luxury apartments. The first phase is worth £50m and the second phase is valued at £270m.
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In early June, Laing O'Rourke with-drew 60 staff from the L1 scheme while Windsor held talks with its bankers about a "wider funding package" for the project as a whole.
L1 is completely separate to the £920m Liverpool One scheme by Grosvenor on nearby Paradise Street.
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