'Once in a lifetime' £70m Littlewoods studios redevelopment signed off in bid to create Hollywood of the North

Liverpool Council’s planning committee has formally approved the £70m refurbishment of the iconic Littlewoods building off Edge Lane, with the ambitious project expected to create thousands of jobs.

Property developers Capital&Centric (C&C) are working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Liverpool City Council to transform the derelict site into the “Hollywood of the North”, providing new opportunities opportunities in the creative industry for generations to come.

C&C formally submitted the plans last November, with the council and Combined Authority committing to the reimagining of the 1930s site that could be worth up to £70m with an initial tranche of £8m for preparatory works signed off in 2022.

The building is divided into three sections including the east and west wings, separated by a 1960s addition, the Hangar. The existing buildings would be used as office space, hotel accommodation for crew, an education facility and roof terrace.

Two 20,000 sq ft studios would be installed with a former canteen previously housed in a barrel-vaulted hangar would be transformed into a multi-purpose screening and performance zone, featuring five small format cinema screens, an outdoor performance space and permanent food hall.

At a meeting in Liverpool Town Hall on Tuesday (October 1), Martin Crews, development director for Capital&Centric described the scheme as a “once in a lifetime opportunity at a key gateway site.” He said the development has the potential to create thousands of jobs and will build on the “thriving” media scene the city already boasts.

A public link between the site and Wavertree Park is also planned outside of the application. Developers want to enhance the long-derelict site’s green credentials with a courtyard available to the community, with landscaping that will pay homage to screen stars past and present.

The site was acquired by C&C in 2018 when plans were announced to regenerate the site, with hopes it could open by 2026. The long-derelict plot is to be repurposed into a 20,000 sq ft film and TV studio, which is hoped to make the city the 'Hollywood of the North'. Earlier this year, work began on dismantling the historic clock face at the site after remediation work got underway last winter.

Digital analysis of laser monitoring – placed on the tower to track its movement and condition – has confirmed how in its current condition the tower is unsafe and could collapse if left. The intention is to rebuild the tower in the same spot, reusing elements of the original from the overhaul of the site that was built in 1938 following the rapid expansion of the Littlewoods Pools business.

It has sat derelict for the past 30 years with its design drawn up by Scottish architect Gerald de Courcy Fraser, who was also behind the grade II Lewis’ Ltd department store in the city centre and the “dramatic” flat iron Premier Building on Church Street which currently houses Lloyds Bank.

Cllr William Shortall, whose ward the site falls into, said the project will bring “much needed, high value jobs” to the area. He added how the extensive fire damage and wear and tear meant the building had been a “bit of an eyesore for a very long time.”