Liverpool to set up first MDC to unlock 17,500 homes and 5m sq ft of commercial
City region mayor Steve Rotheram is to establish a mayoral development corporation that would use its powers to accelerate the regeneration of 430 acres including Peel Waters’ Central Docks, Beetham and TJ Morris’s King Edward Triangle, and the stalled Pall Mall office complex.
The MDC will be Liverpool’s first. The model has been used successfully in Stockport by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and is being rolled out more widely across the city region in places including Bolton, Middleton, and Old Trafford.
In Liverpool, the city council and combined authority have identified 17,500 new homes and 5m sq ft of commercial space that could be delivered within the North Docks area over the next 15 years.
The MDC will focus on unlocking brownfield land and schemes on the waterfront – including the 2,300-home Central Docks and the skyscraper cluster at King Edward Triangle – to the city’s Pumpfields and commercial business districts, and projects like Pall Mall, which the city council provided grant funding for earlier this year.
The proposal builds on the Liverpool Strategic Futures Panel’s final report, published last March, which recommended steps to establish a regeneration delivery vehicle.
The MDC could be up and running in 12 months will have powers to bring land forward, deliver infrastructure, and use flexible financial tools and other powers to get development moving faster within the defined area, according to the LCRCA.
The red line boundary of the MDC. Credit: via LCRCA
Around £11bn of infrastructure, including plans to cap and cover the Strand, could be made easier to deliver with the help of the MDC.
Secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Steve Reed, said the MDC is an example of how the government is empowering mayors.
“This government is pushing power and money out of Whitehall and across the country,” he said.
“I want to see mayors have more powers to create jobs, better connect communities and to get homes built. This is the kind of regional renewal that local people will really feel.”
Mayor Steve Rotheram said the MDC could help lift the North Docks out of its post-industrial funk.
“For generations, huge parts of the North Docks have stood as a reminder of the jobs and opportunities we lost after decades of post-industrial decline,” he said.
“Local people have waited far too long to see this area brought back to life but, working in partnership with government, we’ve now got a once-in-a-generation chance to put that right.”
Other regeneration schemes on the waterfront could provide both inspiration and momentum going forward, the mayor added.
“We only need to look at the transformation of the Albert Dock to see what can happen when we back a bold, long-term vision.
“With Everton’s new stadium rising on the Mersey and partners pulling in the same direction, the North Docks can follow that same journey – from derelict land to a place that local people are proud of and visitors want to be part of.
“By bringing our plans, powers and investment together through a new development corporation for the area, we can unlock one of the biggest brownfield sites in the country and turn it into thousands of good homes, decent jobs and a proper community where families can thrive.”
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “This will create real opportunities for residents and businesses across Liverpool. The North Docks have the potential to deliver thousands of new homes, modern workspaces and vibrant public spaces that will improve the quality of life for residents and attract investment into the city.
“By unlocking this area, we can generate thousands of jobs, support local businesses to grow and strengthen Liverpool’s position as a thriving economic hub. The Mayoral Development Corporation gives us the powers and focus to turn ambition into action – ensuring regeneration happens faster, benefits local communities and drives sustainable growth for the whole city region.”
An MDC could unlock all this potential, but maybe Steve could also adopt a few more of Andy’s strategies such as seriously expanding his local urban rail network, building a proper tram network, and supporting Liverpool Airport. This idea gets the backing of Liam Robinson but to make things work he has to get a grip of his Planning Dept/Planning Committee, as the planning chief is still refusing applications in the Ten Streets area that don’t fit in with the “vision”, the problem is no one is clear what it is.
By Anonymous
If Steve can use this to give some ‘oomph’ to the planners in Liverpool, then all to the good. Everything moves at a snail’s pace – readers of this thread will know the drill.
By Anonymous
Sounds great but need the planning department and certain councillors to change their narrow minded small time attitude. Liverpool needs to think like a major European cities not a village.
By Tim
Pall Mall gets a mention at 400,000 sq ft of offices, been talked about for years, but Preston has announced 700,000 sq ft of offices just this week.
By Anonymous
I wish the Mayor good luck in this project and trust it is not just another bucket list of his like the barrage and his please of give me another 15 years?
By Liverpool4Progess
My abiding feelings when looking at the PNW website is how few Liverpool stories there are compared to Manchester. Surely to Christ to powers that be can see that and can see something needs to be done to get us developing too. The only way we’ll ever match London and close that North South divide is by turning all of our city regions into powerhouses
By Steven Owen
Hopefully they make full use of the MDC powers and effectively take over planning of the waterfront area.
By ajb
No excuses for either LCC or the Combined Authority now. The eyes of the world will be on what comes forward in terms of delivery. Strange that none of the press releases reference Homes England and their work on allocating over £50m to Central Docks, the only tangible scheme of scale where any work is currently being undertaken within the MDC area.
By Anonymous
Has he spoken to his officers about this? Needs to be led by the CA not those clowns in the council, on whose head the lack of activity in the city rests
By Out the loop
Go head Steve. Get them creating plenty of local jobs designing and building them all too please.
By Gary Fortnite
This absolutely MUST draw the talent pool from leading private sector planning and regeneration experts. It can’t be a shuffling around of the same officers and officials that have overseen years of stagnation. Make these MDC roles attractive to the private sector experts and get things going!
By Anonymous
Wonder how this relates to Peel’s existing outline permission for most of the site?
By Zebedee
The eyes of the world will be watching? You’ll be lucky if it’s half of the Wirral
By Anonymous
LCC have promised the earth over the last 50 or so years and delivered nothing but fresh air, empty promises, failed projects, lack of ambition. You only have to read the daily posts on PNW on positive activity in Manchester to gain an understanding of the huge gulf between the two Cities. Nothing will change if nothing changes. It needs a different elected councillor dynamic with ambition to deliver a difference rather than promising one.
By Stephen Hart
Change leadership change City and outlook ……Simples !
By Anonymous
Good to see Moorfields within the redlines, such an abject waste of land and opportunity. The Merseyrail station frontage needs a revamp to ground level, while the area of land opposite could be a mix of residential and commercial , thus bringing life to the streets and alleys of that location, it should be buzzing round there day and night, and not a haven for street sleepers.
By Anonymous
Construction/Building works in this city has ground to a halt because of planners and NIMBYs objecting to everything and certain councillors such as Lucy Williams over exaggerating and scaremongering with developments… look at Manchester they have had a boom over the past couple of years and are years ahead compared to Manchester and hopefully this changes that
By Anonymous
I’ll be well gone by then….zzzzzzzz
By Andy
Another day, another headline. But of course no delivery and no new developments on site. Welcome to Liverpool.
By Anonymous
Out the loop ….. how fascinating your perspective is
By Anonymous
As long as they are homes for working people who have heritage connections with Liverpool.
By Anonymous
@ Anonymous Dec 9 12.08am, so what heritage connections would apply? As in it’s day Liverpool was stocked with Chinese, Germans,Italians,Scandinavians, West Africans,Irish, Welsh. Scottish. So I guess if people from any of those countries/backgrounds whose families once lived and worked in Liverpool were permitted to live in the UK and wished to live in properties in this North Docks area that would suit you, which is great by me.
By Anonymous
More jobs for Manchester
By George