Capital&Centric hunts contractor for £70m Littlewoods transformation
Billed as the Hollywood of the North, the project involves restoring the 260,000 sq ft Liverpool building and constructing two 20,000 sq ft film studios on adjoining land.
Capital&Centric is leading the long-awaited, £70m redevelopment of the Littlewoods building on Edge Lane. Having commenced enabling work last year, the developer is now seeking a contractor to take on the main construction phase.
The restoration of the 1930s building is expected to be a complex process, given its state of disrepair.
Backed by a £17m grant from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the scheme aims to position the site as an “internationally-recognised destination for TV and film production”, according to Capital&Centric.
The new-build studios would be constructed on land adjacent to the fire-damaged Littlewoods building, which would be refurbished to comprise offices, workshops, studio support facilities, and an education facility.
Five small format cinema screens, an outdoor performance space, and a permanent food hall also feature in the proposals. Meanwhile, Capital&Centric also plans to reinstate a working clock on the tower of the building and create a roof garden.
In addition, the former canteen, which was housed in a barrel-vaulted hangar, is to be transformed into a multi-purpose screening and performance zone.
The scheme will be open to both tenants and the public. Credit: via Font Comms
Capital&Centric is currently in talks with a variety of operators interested in taking space at the site. LJMU had been lined up to take 75,000 sq ft within the complex but pulled out in 2022.
Twickenham Studios had committed to taking 85,000 sq ft and is now back in talks with Capital&Centric, as is Broadwick, the cultural operator behind Printworks London.
John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital&Centric, said: “We know what Littlewoods means to people locally and the last few months have been spent carefully clearing out the buildings to get them ready for the main redevelopment work.
We’ve made good progress so we’re now on the hunt for a contractor to lead the rest of the transformation.”
He added: “This is a huge opportunity to get involved in one of the most iconic projects in the North. When it’s finished, Liverpool will have a world-class film and TV destination that will cement its place as the Hollywood of the North, creating jobs for decades to come.”
Contractors interested in being involved in the project should contact Martin Crews, development director at Capital&Centric, on mc@capitalandcentric.com.
ShedKM is the architect behind the scheme, Planit is advising on landscape, and Avison Young is the planning consultant.
Need a trusted and viable contractor here as this needs to move at pace, as we know nowadays delays always increases costs.
If these plans succeed this should be an asset to the City and City Region.
By Anonymous
Seems C&C are always looking for new contractors. Any trusted and viable contractors are going to be very wary of the costs involved in this one and the cash flow implications.
By Fidel
It’s been a long time coming but this project will be brilliant for the city’s film industry.
By Liverpolitan
When this project is seen through to completion it will certainly be a great gateway to the city and will hopefully attract more quality developments to the city. Let’s get it done!
By Brendan R
Would love to see how this scheme is funded.
By More detail
Losing hope on the viability of this. It seems to harder to makes the numbers add up.
By Anonymous
Where’s the money coming from for this? £17m from Liverpool city region won’t be enough to address the huge viability challenge of a high-cost building and relatively low-rent sector (and they definitely shouldn’t put any more in than that!).
By Anonymous