Liverpool City Council is set to debate the next stages of Capital & Centric’s development of a TV and film hub in the city next week.
A report going to the council’s cabinet next Friday requests permission to unlock a two-phase redevelopment of the art deco former HQ of the Littlewoods empire, which has been vacant for decades.
The first phase would begin in early 2022 with £8m of funding for Capital & Centric’s remediation work. That sum is part of a previously agreed £17m funding package.
A funding package is then needed for phase two, with the council and combined authority each committing £12m and a search for a commercial lending partner under way.
The scheme could create almost 4,000 jobs across studios, creative offices and new media facilities. It has two proposed major anchor tenants: Twickenham Film Studios and Liverpool John Moores University, which will occupy 85,000 sq ft of studio and ancillary space and 75,000 sq ft of education space, respectively.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, said: “I want our region to be the UK’s ‘Hollywood of the North’. We have already seen the first temporary sound stages launch and it’s fantastic to see our £17m investment to develop world-class facilities at Littlewoods take the next step.”
The Littlewoods building was built in 1938 but was requisitioned by the UK government during World War II and was used to make barrage balloons. After that, it was the printing centre for football pools coupons. It then lay derelict from 2003 before being acquired by Capital & Centric. The company planned to open the studios in 2020 but faced delays due to a fire – the cause of which is unknown – in 2018, which damaged the floor and roof on the west wing of the building.
Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital & Centric, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the Littlewoods project and will kick-start activity on site. We have worked hard to get to this stage, investing in developing the vision for the site and securing key tenants.”
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