Liverpool Strategic Futures panel highlights 9 priority sites
The group’s final report outlines the responsibilities of a new regeneration partnership, along with proposing the creation of a development vehicle to provide additional capacity, expertise, and support across the city.
Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel was established to support commissioners brought in by the government during state intervention in some areas of the city’s council.
The panel comprises a mix of public and private sector giants, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region and panel chair, Baroness Judith Blake, former Leader of Leeds City Council, and Sir Howard Bernstein, former chief executive of Manchester City Council, charged with providing stability and a plan for the future.
Outlined in the panel’s report, the preferred model is the new Locally Led Urban Development Corporation established by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.
Liverpool could be the first area to use this model.
The partnership will be chaired by an experienced private sector figure to work closely with the council to coordinate a strategy for the city.
Key priorities
Three priorities have been established in the plan by the Liverpool Strategic Futures panel which was established during intervention into council governance to shape the city’s future, and can be found on the government website.
Priority number one is the mapping out of the proposed accelerated development zone. The second priority is public service reform, and the third is turbocharging the innovation economy.
The report earmarks priority areas for the accelerated development zone, which includes:
Accelerated development zone proposals
- The creation of a 4.7 acre park development plots for up to 2,350 homes at Central Docks.
- Plans to create 1m sq ft of development on 125 acres of former dockland to link North Liverpool with the city centre.
- A semi-derelict 75 acre zone at Pumpfields with a history of failed and stalled projects, on the Northern edge of the city centre, has been targeted as a location for up to 10,000 homes.
- Grant funding via Homes England is being considered for the Greatie Market area.
- The potential for improving transport links at Moorfields Station is mooted.
- Potential to redevelop 3.3 acres left by the demolition of the Churchill Way flyovers for cultural or education facilities, and potential residential developments.
- Progressing development in the Fabric Quarter.
- Improvement work to Central Station.
- Paddington Village, already part developed, could receive more funding from the Combined Authority Investment Zone funding ,and is also under consideration for grant funds via Homes England.
In his introduction to the report, panel chair Rotheram, said: “This report is not a silver bullet, but it does give the city and the region targets to aim for.
“We are already beginning to see the panel’s work bear fruit, with £31m secured to kickstart regeneration, and a major investment in our life science economy recently announced by AstraZeneca.”
Does Steve Rotheram have the drive and vision to match Judith Blake and Howard Bernstein, certainly on transport he doesn’t seem to have a grand expansion plan like they have on the Tyne Metro.
Hopefully with Liam Robinson as head of the City Council he will prove to be the man who unlocked Liverpool’s potential.
By Anonymous
All sounds good, the setting up of the LLUD can be the catalyst that enables all of this to be completed and could be seen as the successor to the old MDC who’s life was curtailed before it could finish its programme.
By Liverpolitis
With an average of 133 homes per acre in the pumpfields proposal and the average UK being 18.
Could this mean another cluster of tall buildings in this area?
By Liverpool4Progress
Greatie Market – don’t understand why a market that sells Tat is remotely important as a priority against the many other much more important and beneficial targets these “Heavy weights ” should focus on. Our city has much to offer with huge potential that would benefit all.
By Paul
Robinson has a professional background in transportation especially rail should be able to develop and deliver a transport linked regeneration strategy alongside Steve Rotheram….but not sure they have the financial resources to pay for the infrastructure
By George
Steve has promised 3 new stations in St Helen’s, Halton, and Wirral, but we need more than that, the Liverpool Outer Loop is wasted as a cycle track, it allows a link from South to North Liverpool and passes 3 major hospitals and large areas of population like Gateacre, Childwall, West Derby, and Walton. He now has battery powered trains so all that’s needed is track and signalling, and this would be a major transport boost from Knowsley West to South Sefton.
By Anonymous
2350 homes in the Central Docks indicates that the land will be underdeveloped with mid-rise blocks of 5-10 storeys.
Not exactly visionary, is it?
There needs to be a real plan to redevelop the whole area between the new stadium and Leeds St, and the derelict land that then exists towards Dale St.
A whole new road network could be developed to ease congestion along the Strand.
A real focal point to redevelop the Pumpfields District would be to extend the Leeds-Liverpool canal back to near Leeds St with a basin to create an inland quayside a la Salford Quays.
Moorfields Station needs to be demolished and rebuilt on the ground floor to provide access to an underground railway.
I am not inspired by what I have read for these important plans for what will be the next 50 years of Liverpool’s future.
By Anonymous
Let me see: invest in Baltic station, which is supported by an area enjoying huge jobs and population growth, or invest some money in a market that sells complete tat? Tough one that, Steve.
By More Anonymous than the others
Election time.
By Anonymous
Labour don’t care about Liverpool
By Anonymous
Great Homer Street Market, or Greatie as they annoyingly keep calling it, is not that great, but with a little vision could be better.These days markets need a bit more than cheap foreign foodstuffs, goods and sportsgear.How about an antiques section or 2nd hand books, plus flower market, then an initial small row of cafes and bars to give it a continental feel. Meanwhile in the city centre the council have failed to do anything with Wolstenholme Square, as this would be a good location for a weekend book market along with some flower stalls, this would help let some of the properties that have been vacant for some time.
By Anonymous
Liverpool is very important to Labour, they don’t want to lose Liverpool votes by allowing it to become salubrious, deprivation = votes for Labour.
By Peter
This is all great – lovely plans – I have some myself, I’ve designed my yacht and have even researched the kitchen in my Tobago beach house. But they won’t come to anything, and neither will these. You need private developers, institutional investors, to complete this list. And the commercial arguments for deploying capital in Liverpool, rather than Leeds or Manchester are just very very poor.
By Anonymous
So what the hell has happened to the new cruise terminal? You know, the thing that will bring 1000s of sustainable jobs?
Building 1000s of properties is a short term ision with short term jobs and needing a prayer that the city has tens of thousands of jobs to actually attract tenants, something it’s failed miserably at for decades.
I hate to say it but maybe we need something other than a Labour council to actually bring Liverpool into the 21st century and stop relying solely on central government handouts.
By Mark
@ Mark 29 March, the cruise terminal is still on the agenda but will not be built nor operated by the Council. There is ample room on the waterfront for this terminal and apartment blocks too. At present there are two large vacant sites on Princes Dock including the current temporary cruise terminal and now the IOM terminal has moved this could be the solution whereby cruise ship passengers access the landing stage and ships from one building containing a multi-storey hotel with the cruise terminal on the ground and first level and then a bridge across the waterfront roadway, in addition the space left by the IOM move can provide berthing space for smaller liners thus allowing 2 ships to dock at one time.
By Anonymous
We shouldn’t be building this until the climate crisis is over
By Dan