Upgrade for beloved Great Homer Street Market as Liverpool receives £31m funding boost

A multi-million pound investment package has been confirmed for Liverpool, with up to £5million to be pumped into one of the city's most-loved markets.

Secretary of State for levelling up, housing and communities, Michael Gove, announced on Friday (March 1), at the Convention of The North conference, that £31m will has been granted to the city, support its regeneration projects. Sharing the news, Gove said, "there is immense potential for urban regeneration in Liverpool and the wider city region". The majority of the funding - up to £26m - will be spent on a major development at Paddington Village in the heart of the 450-acre Knowledge Quarter Innovation District, including a new eight-storey office building – HEMISPHERE ONE.

HEMISPHERE One is a £60m scheme to be delivered by Sciontec, which is a partnership between the Council, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University, and Bruntwood SciTech. The 115,000 sq ft scheme will include 80,000 sq ft of lab space in the building’s top five floors, in line with the Liverpool City Region’s Health and Life Sciences Investment Zone vision. Up to £13m of the new investment package is expected to support the project, with construction set to begin in early 2025 and complete in 2027.

Around £13m will be used to acquire sites (such as Smithdown Lane Police Station) and remediate and masterplan phase two of Paddington Village - Paddington South.

Up to £5m will enable an upgrade to the much-loved Great Homer Street Market, with an expansion expansion to attract more traders and customers. Known by locals as Greatie, the popular Everton market has been around for nearly two centuries, with people across Liverpool visiting its stalls every Saturday. It also launched its first ever Christmas market in December, welcoming customers every Sunday throughout the festive period.

Liverpool City Council Leader, Cllr Liam Robinson, said: “We are delighted that the Government has endorsed our plans and is willing to invest in Paddington Village in our Knowledge Quarter. This investment will help to accelerate the city’s future as a world-leading science and innovation hub.

“This funding is also a huge vote of confidence in our vision to be one of Europe’s leading centres for research and development in the life-sciences.

“HEMISPHERE One is going to be a fantastic asset to the city, creating much-needed lab-based jobs for decades to come. The other tranche of funding will ensure we can develop the second phase of Paddington Village and enhance the city’s overall appeal to attract further investment and more jobs.

“In addition, the funding for Great Homer Street Market is equally welcome as this will ensure we can grow this vital community asset in north Liverpool. Today’s announcement is another sign of our growing relationship with Whitehall and Westminster which bodes well for further plans to grow the city’s economy.”

Colin Sinclair, CEO of Sciontec Developments Limited and Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “It is great news that Liverpool has been able to unlock additional funding for further development of its innovation infrastructure. This is a clear and deserved recognition of the enormous strides we have taken as a trailblazer in health and life sciences innovation and our potential for further success. “The world-class laboratory and workspace created at HEMISPHERE will play a pivotal role in that continued success and an expanded Paddington Village will be the engine room for the delivery of wider Investment Zone plans for the next decade and beyond.”