Liverpool seeks recruits to lead regeneration partnership
At the Liverpool City Council Autumn Developer’s Forum, officials announced to the audience their intention to form the Liverpool Regeneration Partnership and began their recruitment drive.
With its stated intention to fuel inward investment into the city, the audience was told that the council is ready to begin discussions with prospective partners for the local public-private partnership.
Councillors have decided to take a new approach to investment after recognising that the public sector can only play a minimal role in driving inward investment.
The hope is that a strong public-private partnership would provide an overseeing structure, making city-wide investments simpler and broader in scope.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of LCC, said the proposed partnership would provide “strategic leadership” and “accelerate development”.
Key industries such as health and life sciences are to be a cornerstone of the partnership’s investments, but residential sites and commercial builds are considered essential to maximise the success of such industries.
Private companies would partner with LCC’s development team, which is already working on regeneration projects around the city, such as Littlewoods and Festival Gardens.
Timescales have been laid out. LCC will close applications on 13 January next year, begin conducting interviews with prospective developers and financiers in February, and appoint the partnership’s board in April.
Andrew Lewis, chief executive of LCC, said: “We want a partnership that can connect the city both nationally and internationally.”
He added: “Recruitment for this partnership is about to begin.”
Those interested are encouraged to get in contact with Nuala Gallagher, LCC’s corporate director for development, on her email: nuala.gallagher@liverpool.gov.uk
Let’s hope they reach out to expertise beyond the usual local suspects who have overseen stagnation in the city for years. LCC needs to work differently to get better outcomes and tangible development moving across a city with huge potential.
By Anonymous
A step in the right direction.
By Liverpool4Progress
Positive steps, now time for action. Liverpool’s waterfront is prime real estate and should be the perfect location for global pension funds to invest in. With the right support and positive engagement LCC could successfully attract global investors and help transform large parts of the city in to modern, high quality homes , businesses and leisure destinations.
By GetItBuilt!
Amazed to see that more than 20 years since the start of the big dig the city is still casting around for partners and promoting the same old strategie. It’s almost as if its a job creation scheme in its own right. Mipim anyone?
By Tannoy
Amazing that they have just come round to this when other cities have done it for years. You would have thought Liverpool One would’ve been the catalyst but things went downhill after that. I feel we are lucky to have Nuala Gallagher as a driving force as her ideas and experience are invaluable.
However we are still not seeing anything happening at Kings Dock , no clear plan for Ten Streets, the Festival Gardens site still has no developer, Pall Mall is dormant, large open spaces exist at Moorfields. A couple of positive things are happening at Littlewood Studios and the Chinatown site will hopefully progress, but it has to be said that no stand out planning applications have occurred for months.
By Anonymous
I disagree with the comment that liverpool are lucky to have certain individuals. Liverpools development leadership is lightweight and lacks track record in delivering development in previous roles in other cities. Less talk and more action please.
By Anonymous
What’s their excuse for not delivering now their Labour “mates” are in government?
They are presiding over total stagnation, and appear happy to do just that.
By Jeff
LCC still frozen in time, hindered by a lack of support from their friends across the way in Mann Island.
By Anonymous
You won`t get regeneration without private sector investment and developer interest , just looking back on PNW to 22 October there is almost nothing happening in terms of serious new developments. We know in Liverpool that planning applications take a long time to process so we could assume that even if some strong applications were coming through they would not complete construction for years to come, so how long are we meant to wait for all the fruits of these regeneration forums to appear.
By Anonymous