Grosvenor hopeful of return to ‘bold’ thinking in Liverpool
Reflecting on 15 years of Liverpool ONE and looking to the future, the company that developed the scheme has urged the city council to show the same kind of ambition today that saw a 42-acre gap in the city centre transformed a decade and a half ago.
Speaking to Place North West, Chris Jukes, Grosvenor’s fund director for Liverpool ONE, said he was hopeful that recent appointments at the city council would bring a return to the bold thinking that saw the retail and entertainment complex delivered in 2008.
“I would expect [the city council] to revisit how they acted in the late 90s and early 2000s. To be bold, to be confident, to think big, and look for those partnerships that bring inward investment.
“Clearly there has been turmoil. It has been well-documented recently. But I’m very much buoyed by recent developments.”
These developments include the appointments of Nuala Gallagher and Sophie Bevan in its regeneration and development team, as well as the recruitment of chief executive Andrew Lewis.
“It’s great to have a steady base of talented people in position,” Jukes said. “There’s a lot of work to be done but I feel there’s a real pent-up desire within Liverpool to see people come together and work to bring that inward investment in.”
Another welcome development that shows Liverpool is heading in the right direction was the announcement of a fresh approach to development on the waterfront, a “critical” area for the city and Liverpool ONE, according to Jukes.
Keep calm and carry on
Liverpool ONE has been a bastion of stability during its first 15 years. It opened just as a global recession was beginning and has traded stoically through the upheaval of recent years, welcoming on average 26m visitors annually.
Read more about the impact Liverpool ONE has had over the last 15 years
In the wake of the pandemic, the complex has recovered much quicker than the national average for retail-led destinations. In terms of footfall performance compared to 2019, Liverpool ONE is currently 10% points ahead of the UK and 14% points ahead of North West footfall benchmarks, according to Grosvenor.
In order to make sure Liverpool ONE remains attractive, Grosvenor has had to be agile and willing to adapt to shifting demands.
Jukes said his team is “constantly looking at trends” to inform its approach to leasing and understand what customers want.
Analysis of the data has resulted in a reduction in the amount of space let to retailers over the years.
In 2008 Liverpool ONE had 20 restaurants and eight cafes. Today, the complex boasts 38 restaurants and 23 cafes, many within former retail units.
Leisure is also a key component of Grosvenor’s current approach. Gravity Max Entertainment recently opened a 100,000 sq ft venue within half of the store previously occupied by Debenhams and Jukes is pleased with how it has performed so far.
“It has been tremendous. The impact [of Gravity] we have seen around the scheme has been terrific,” he said.
“That speaks to the evolution [of Liverpool ONE]; giving customers something they didn’t realise they were missing until it was built.”
the creation of Liverpool ONE was a ‘herculean effort’, Jukes said. Credit: Aver PR
What next?
The next phase of Liverpool ONE’s evolution is likely to focus on maximising what it already has rather than growing outwards, at least in the short term, Jukes said.
“We don’t have anything currently in the pipeline, but we are we are always looking to repurpose.
“That isn’t to say that we wouldn’t in the future look for adjacent sites or work with partners on adjacent sites. A huge part of the success of Liverpool ONE was about working in partnership with a whole plethora of different stakeholders in Liverpool and we would be keen to do that for the right thing again in the future.”
Jukes flatly refused to address rumours that Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is looking to offload its 69% stake in Liverpool ONE, possibly to Landsec. If that sale did materialise, the possibility of expansion could be revisited sooner rather than later.
The perfect fit
The biggest compliment you can pay Liverpool ONE from a placemaking perspective is that it feels like it has been there forever, stitched seamlessly into the city’s fabric.
The key to this, Jukes said, was not thinking of it as a shopping centre, but as the “heart of Liverpool city centre” – hence the absence of a roof to promote permeability.
He describes its development as a “herculean effort” that involved 25 different architects building on BDP’s original masterplan.
“The quality of the design was critical to bringing people into the city but since then it has been all about the management of that asset.
“If you’ve got the right product in the right place, it should do well,” he said.
They have done an amazing job, and hope they continue to do so with full support from LCC. Liverpool One shows what can be done with a bit of ambition and big city thinking and the long term benefits that brings. Still hope Renaker come to Liverpool very soon.
By GetItBuilt!
Unless certain councillors get with the times the city will never fulfill it’s full potential. If Liverpool one was proposed today you would get plenty of objection from the anti development crowd.
By Paul79
It would be good to get Grosvenor on board with the development of King’s dock etc as well as Liverpool 2 etc. Liverpool One just shows what can be achieved with a good masterplan, funding and determination.
By Chris
It’s all manana manana with the City Region and the Council – lost all hope. Slow and tardy.
By Gringo
The former Police HQ site crucial to the city now
By George
Grosvenor are interested in themselves. What Liverpool City Council need to focus on is other areas of the City Centre that are fast becoming replicas of places like Blackpool in terms of how run down they are.
By oscar
Gallagher has an impressive CV, she has worked in Britain and abroad, she knows what successful cities do in order maintain and upgrade their economies and urban fabric. It’s still early days for her but I feel she has the tenacity, personality, and ability to get the job done, and if things are getting in her way to make her feelings known.
By Anonymous
Need to sort out Richmond Street and Williamson Square – which could be fantastic – and have a green route into St John’s Gardens and up to Islington. And link into London Road and the Fabric District. Williamson Square so close to the St George’s Hall, Art Gallery and Museum and Lime Street and theatres could be a beautiful square with coffee bars and restaurants and smaller boutique shops. Not Pound bakery. Segway through to Liverpool One and Whitechapel. St John’s and Clayton Square need attention especially as big anchor like Flannels they should be being accommodated. Perhaps Grosvenor could help out London Road
By Lizzy Baggot
Sick of hearing spin about liverpool one;it has destroyed liverpool city centre,is an eye sore and is not for the people of liverpool.Furthermore,we lost a park and gained a glass roofed carpark.This development opitomises the furyher destruction of liverpool over the past twenty years with ugly student accomodation and a city centre full of drunken stag and hen do’s.The city centre is a dirty no go zone for locals with ver few shops.please stop the vandalism of liverpool.
By Anonymous
@Lizzy 3.38pm, I admire some of your visions for the city centre but don’t think Grosvenor would go anywhere near London Road. What’s needed there, especially at the lower end, is lots of high-density housing to bring in the footfall,after that the shops and bars will follow, and maybe some hotels and even a small cinema. What could be great would be an indoor market, nothing too vast,but the type you’d see in any town in France or Spain, selling cheeses, bread, groceries etc.
London Road at the top end is made busy with medical institutions and higher education so there is already demand but more is needed.
By Anonymous
I remember what town was like before Liverpool one. Thank you Grosvenor for transforming our city centre, hopefully there is more to come.
By Simon Clark
Anonymous 5:39 – as a scouser I have to strongly disagree. Liverpool One has been the making of Liverpool City Centre.
By Stu
Need more busses to stop further into town , most stop outside St Johns making it very difficult to get to Liverpool one people with young children and prams and people who are in wheelchairs or who have mobility problems can’t get to Marks and Spencer or the cinema, or the water front. The way the city council has redirected traffic needs to be sorted out ASP before it kills the shops. Getting 2 busses is just to difficult for a lot of people and businesses will suffer.
By Ann