The north end of Old Hall Street remains cordoned off, with security guards nearby
The closure at one end of Old Hall Street
A date for the highly anticipated reopening of a major Liverpool road “can’t be certain” as a survey of the “unsafe structure” which caused the closure is about to begin. Emergency services were called to Old Hall Street on June 30 after reports from the building managers of Beetham Tower – the tallest building in the city – concerning a large metal art installation next door.
The Connections – Face of Liverpool structure, an abstract piece by artist Stephen Broadbent, was reported to be leaning at a “concerning angle” towards the tower.
Liverpool City Council was alerted to the issue by Merseyside Police and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, and a closure was put in place. The north end of Old Hall Street, from the Radisson Blu hotel to the junction of Leeds Street and The Strand, remains cordoned off, with security guards nearby.
On July 1, Peter Whalley, the head of block management at Berkeley Shaw, which manages Beetham Tower, said adjustments would be made to make the artwork “structurally sound”.
A spokesman on behalf of the company has now informed The ECHO they “can’t be certain on timescales” when it comes to the reopening of the road.
He said it was Berkeley Shaw’s task to help its client identify the cause of the structural problem, work with specialist engineers to find a solution, and then commission suppliers to fix it.
He said: “A survey is being undertaken this Thursday (July 24) with the purpose of identifying the cause behind the structure’s listing and what remedies are needed to make it safe. Until that survey is concluded, the remedies costed and the budgets approved by the structure’s owner, we can’t be certain on timescales.”
Connections – Face of Liverpool is leaning at a “concerning angle”(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The partial closure has been in place for more than three weeks, affecting drivers coming into the city’s business district from Leeds Street and The Strand. The right-hand lane on The Strand, used to access both Old Hall Street and Leeds Street, has also been closed.
The route usually allows quick access to the offices of the Liverpool ECHO and Hill Dickinson, the sponsors of Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, in St Paul’s Square, as well as the passport office at 101 Old Hall Street, and The Capital Building corporate offices.
Its closure has resulted in traffic congestion, further complicated by the maze of one-way systems surrounding Old Hall Street. The road goes down to a single lane at Union Street, where the Cotton Exchange is located. Drivers also cannot get onto the road from Bixteth Street, as it leads on to St Paul’s Square, which is pedestrianised.
Currently drivers can only access Old Hall Street by going via Chapel Street, then on to Rumford Place and Union Street. The 54A and the 136 buses have also had to change their route.
A message on Merseytravel’s website says: “Old Hall Street will be closed at the Leeds Street junction from Monday 30 June 2025 until further notice.”
The closure has attracted a wave of criticism from disgruntled drivers whose journeys have been affected. Phil Brookes-Lennon posted on X: “Over three weeks now. There’s no reason to have this blocked off. Old Hall Street is closed but this lane is also to carry on around Leeds Street. Can this be altered? 8pm on a Saturday traffic like this is mad for no reason.”
Another man said: “So Old Hall Street in Liverpool City Centre has now been closed for two weeks! Incompetence on a great scale.”