The development of Liverpool's former Littlewoods building could be “transformational” over the next five years it is hoped.
After years of false starts and dashed hopes, light was seen at the end of the tunnel in 2021 when Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool Council pledged millions of pounds to remodel the historic former Football Pools site. It is hoped that this year will mark the start of a five year journey to transform the fire damaged building into a brand new 260,000 square feet TV and film studio, media and creative complex.
A report to Liverpool Council’s strategic development and housing committee, scheduled for next week, has outlined the latest progress around the Edge Lane location. It has confirmed, as revealed last year, that £8m from the Combined Authority is being bumped into ascertaining the structural integrity of the building.
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While this phase is underway, owners of the plot Capital & Centric will market the site with the intention to attract tenants and inform the design. The report said however, “there are some issues still to be addressed associated with this project namely how Phase 2 will be funded.”
It added: “Whilst there is an estimate of overall costs, there are unknown costs, particularly in relation to the damage caused by the fire and subsequent water ingress, and it will not be possible to determine the final project costs until remediation and stabilisation work to rectify the fire damage is completed including internal and external scaffolding and detailed survey work."
The area has proven popular for the media industry, with Paramount+ securing a long term lease at the new pop-up studios known as The Depot. The studios, which opened in 2021 to the tune of almost £4m, has three more years to make the cost of the build back before the revenue and capital levels drop to their traditional use as industrial/commercial accommodation.
In terms of delivery, legal structures have been reworked for the Littlewoods Building, with a long lease replaced by a 35-year lease “along with other agreements to ensure effective delivery and control.” Last month, Capital & Centric said they hoped work could begin on the “eyesore” site by June this year amid changes to timetables.
The report said while concerns remained, hopes were in place that at long last, dreams would be able to come to life. It said: “This is the first step, but it is hoped that we will finally see something transformational delivered on this site over the next five years.”
Liverpool Council own both the Littlewoods building and the land adjacent, which will be developed as part of the project.
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