There are plenty of projects looking to rejuvenate parts of our region
The land that will become Central Docks as part of Liverpool Waters(Image: Peel Waters)
A number of ongoing regeneration projects are aiming to change the face of our region. Among them are a £760m football stadium, a bold new use for an iconic art deco building and a new neighbourhood and park on the banks of the Mersey.
All of them promise to provide economic boosts to their respective areas, create jobs and install new infrastructure – and they could mean that parts of our region will look very different in the future. Some of the projects will be completed in 2025 but others are long-term projects which are hoped to see significant movement in the next 12 months.
Here, we look at some of the ongoing projects in the Liverpool City Region set to bring about change in 2025 and beyond.
Woodside Ferry Terminal
How Woodside Ferry Terminal could look in the future(Image: Copyright Unknown)
The revamp of Wirral’s Woodside ferry terminal got underway in November 2024 as part of a major regeneration project which aims to turn the area into a ‘vibrant and unique waterfront destination’. As part of the complex engineering work, the existing 39-year-old landing stage and linkspan bridge will be removed, recycled and replaced with a new linkspan bridge and landing stage, with modern passenger waiting facilities.
About the project, Cllr Paul Stuart, Leader of Wirral Council, said: “The Woodside area is on the cusp of major change with the significant funding Wirral Council has obtained to maximise the incredible potential of this unique location.
“The revamped ferry terminal will play an important role in helping us make Woodside the amazing waterfront destination it should be, alongside the work we are doing to improve its connections through Hamilton Square to Birkenhead town centre and make it a location where people want to live, work and visit.”
The revamp, due for completion in summer 2025, follows a multi-million-pound refurbishment of Seacombe Ferry Terminal, which reopened in 2022. The upgraded terminals will be ready to welcome the new £26m new Mersey Ferry, which is due to be launched by the summer of 2026.
The Littlewoods Project
A new CGI shows how the terrace at Littlewoods will look(Image: Capital&Centric)
Plans to transform the iconic 1930s art deco Littlewoods building on Edge Lane into a film and TV campus progressed in 2024. The first stage of work, a comprehensive strip out of the buildings and securing their structural integrity to prepare them for repurposing and restoration, was completed in 2024, paving the way for main contractors to move in this year.
In September, Liverpool City Council approved plans for the site and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCR CA) has committed up to £17m to develop The Depot – two 20,000 sq.ft film and TV studios for big budget productions now open off Liverpool’s Edge Lane and managed by Liverpool Film Office – and larger studios in the adjacent Littlewoods building as part of Mayor Rotheram’s hope to turn the city region into the ‘Hollywood of the North’.
The programme for repurposing the existing building is longer due to the complexity of dealing with the existing structures which are set to feature spaces for offices, workshops, studio support facilities and an education facility. Once complete in 2027, tenants and visitors will also be able to take in views across the city from a new roof garden, with a working clock reinstated on the iconic tower.
Liverpool Central Docks
How the river walk at Central Docks in Liverpool Waters could look(Image: Peel Waters)
Part of the ongoing Liverpool Waters project, which is aiming to transform the post-industrial landscape of the city’s northern docklands, Central Docks will become home to a new park and more than 2,000 new homes. It is the largest brownfield site in Liverpool. Its development has been supported by £56m investment from the government, which was confirmed in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October budget.
Construction company GRAHAM was last year appointed by Peel Waters, which is behind Liverpool Waters, to deliver the first phase of Central Docks. Peel says this appointment marks a pivotal step in the regeneration of a 60-hectare site, transforming it into a mixed-use waterfront neighbourhood that it says promises will stimulate substantial economic growth for North Liverpool and the wider Liverpool City Region.
In addition to designing the underground utilities, roads and public realm, GRAHAM will be responsible for the final designs of the 2.1-hectare Central Park, which will be the focal point of the Central Docks neighbourhood and will become one of the city’s largest green spaces.
Liverpool Waters’ development director Chris Capes told the ECHO last month: “Getting on-site in Central Docks next year (2025) is going to be a big thing for us. GRAHAM is on-site doing a lot of survey and design work for us. That will be completed early next year and we want to be on site in the middle of the year.”
King Edward Triangle
King Edward Industrial Estate(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Another part of Liverpool Waters, the King Edward Triangle will be home to a new cluster of skyscrapers. In spring of 2024 the company behind Home Bargains and Beetham joined forces to buy the former industrial estate on Gibraltar Row in the King Edward Triangle neighbourhood.
It is currently home to a number of hospitality businesses but TJ Morris and Beetham are planning a landmark high-rise development consisting of more than 1,000 homes on the site. About TJ Morris and Beetham, Mr Capes told the ECHO: “We know they’re really keen and they’ll be bringing forward a lot of planning applications over the next 12 months. That’s quite exciting.”
St Helens transport interchange
Designs for a new transport interchange and civic square in St Helens(Image: Liverpool City Region Combined Authority)
Construction will begin on a new transport interchange for St Helens in 2025, as part of wider regeneration works in the town centre. Delivered with £32m funding from the LCR CA, the new St Helens Interchange will aim to improve the experience and safety of people travelling by bus, cyclists and pedestrians and create a green arrival point in St Helens town centre.
The LCR CA says the St Helens Interchange will better connect bus and rail services in the town, with improved walking and cycling links, creating a greener, more accessible and comfortable hub for bus passengers in the heart of the town centre. It adds that the interchange will create capacity for St Helens to welcome larger and more sustainable buses in the future and move all bus operations into a safe and controlled environment – reducing congestion on Corporation Street.
The designs prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, representing a 20% increase in footways with improved crossing facilities to key destinations across the town centre, such as Theatre Royal, The Millennium Centre and the Gamble Building. The funding includes additional enhancements to the public realm to create vibrant and welcoming public spaces with clearer, safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists and de-cluttered streets.
The project is set for completion in 2026, coinciding with the introduction of the first franchised bus services in St Helens. To be rolled out across the city region by the end of 2027, the new franchised network will allow greater local control of fares, timetables and routes.
Everton’s new stadium
An aerial view of the newly constructed Everton Stadium at Bramley Moore Dock(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Everton FC will move into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for the start of the 2025/26 football season. The Toffees have called Goodison Park home since 1892 but the new 52,000-capacity stadium has now been handed over to the club.
A ceremonial handover took place on December 20, three-and-a-half years after the launch of the £760m project. It marked the end of the construction phase and Everton will now oversee a six month fit-out of the ground that is due to start in the new year.
That work will see the stadium come to life with design and audio-visual specialists among those operating to put the club’s stamp on the landmark. Constructors Laing O’Rourke will maintain a presence through the opening months of that work.
Three test events are set to take place as the ground prepares to host matches from the start of next season. The LCR CA is also investing £15m to support the ‘transformational regeneration’ of large parts of north Liverpool and south Sefton by supporting work linked to the development of the stadium.
Bootle Strand
CGI fly-through vision of new Bootle Strand(Image: Sefton Council)
The transformation of Bootle Strand will pick up pace this year as Sefton Council has confirmed all demolition works will be complete by the end of 2025. The iconic shopping centre opened in 1968 was purchased by Sefton Council seven years ago for £32.5m.
The local authority has laid out plans for a landmark regeneration project to ‘secure its future’. Plans were accelerated in March 2023 with the award of £20m as part of the government’s Levelling Up fund.
In December 2023, a planning application was approved by the council for demolishing parts of the shopping centre and the forthcoming construction work represents the first phase of The Strand’s transformation.
During the course of 2024, the canal-side wing of Bootle Strand was evacuated and local businesses relocated to other parts of the town centre. Furthermore, Sefton Council launched Salt & Tar – an open air music and entertainment venue next to the canal – culminating in a weekend long festival in August headlined by international superstars, Tom Jones and Status Quo.
Cllr Paulette Lappin confirmed residents will see more tangible results in 2025, and said in December: “We’ve seen physical works start in the Strand Shopping Centre with the main part of that work to take part in 2025. Taking on the shopping centre has been a long term project of the council to ensure it was developed to really benefit the local community and we’re starting to see the benefits of that.
“The important thing through all this is to remember that the shopping centre will remain open and its important people continue to support the businesses based here in Bootle throughout the work so we can really see the benefits of the investment as the development progresses.
She added: “This time next year (2025) the areas we are demolishing will have been taken down and people will start to see the new development emerging.”
Huyton Village
What Huyton Village could look like after redevelopment works(Image: Knowsley Council)
Huyton is about to undergo a ‘once in a generation’ transformation which will ‘secure its prosperity’ for years to come, according to Knowsley Council. In December, the local authority announced ambitious plans to transform Huyton Village into a ‘vibrant’ and diverse town centre including a mixed-use commercial district, a council HQ development, a hotel, 72 affordable homes, a library and new leisure and cultural facilities.
Over the last year, the council has purchased a number of buildings including Units 1 to 8 Cavendish Walk and the multi-storey car park and also demolished buildings such as the Venue and Yorkon sites. The aim was to make way for new development and secure funding to ensure sustainable regeneration in the area.
An example of this was the recently announced £2m funding from the LCR CA which will be added to the £13m already invested by the local authority. The funding is part of a larger £163m Huyton Village project which aims to deliver a host of economic and social benefits for the town centre and wider Knowsley area.
Cllr Tony Brennan, cabinet member for regeneration and economic development said: “This really is an exciting time for Huyton. This transformation will be a once in a generation opportunity to revitalise Huyton and create a vibrant town centre with thriving businesses, high quality leisure offer, hotel and town centre living that will secure its prosperity for years to come.”
Marine Lake Events Centre
Artist’s impression of the Marine Lake Event Centre in Southport(Image: Liverpool City Region Combined Authority)
Work is well under way on the new Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC) in Southport, with demolition of the former Southport Theatre and Convention Centre largely complete. The state-of-the-art £73m multipurpose events centre will be capable of holding entertainment shows, touring theatre acts, conferences, exhibitions and more.
It is expected to bring more than half a million new visitors to Southport each year and generate an annual £18m boost for the local economy. The Marine Lake Events Centre is one of the schemes being developed as a result of £37.5m of Town Deal funding for Southport. A significant proportion of this funding is for the centre, as well as for the Light Fantastic, a water, light and sound show in the adjacent Marine Lake, which will be the first of its kind in the UK.
Mayor Steve Rotheram and the LCR CA approved £17.7m of funding for the new Marine Lake Events Centre, on top of £2.3m it had already committed to the pre-development work. Sefton Council will also provide funding of up to £19.7 million for the project.
New Mersey Ferry
How the new Mersey Ferry will look
Work will continue on building the first new Mersey Ferry for more than 60 years. Construction of the new vessel is currently underway at Cammell Laird’s Birkenhead shipyard, with services due to start by summer 2026.
The new Mersey Ferry will feature state of the art navigation and steering systems as well as providing improved spaces for events and functions. The new ferry is designed to offer a world-class experience to both everyday passengers and eventgoers thanks to large, open plan decks and smaller, more intimate event spaces for corporate functions and private parties, alongside new regular seasonal cruises.
In late 2024 CGIs were released showing the planned exterior of the new ferry, which will retain the fleet’s traditional red, black and white colour scheme as well as a false funnel. The design honours the Mersey Ferries’ rich heritage, while the interior boasts a contemporary theme fit for the future.
Housebuilding
As part of Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plans to tackle the housing crisis, the Combined Authority is investing a total of £60m from its Brownfield Land Fund to prepare sites for building new homes. Since the original Brownfield Land Fund was announced in July 2020, the Combined Authority has already agreed plans to invest £51.4m in 35 projects across the city region, which it says will deliver 4,497 homes. So far, four projects have completed with all residents moved in.
In planning terms, any land that has been previously developed is classed as brownfield. In the city region, much of this land is derelict and formerly industrial so must be cleaned up before it can be redeveloped.
The Combined Authority investment will be used for site remediation and other measures required to make sites ready for development. In total, 700 brownfield sites have been identified across the six local authorities of the city region. The updated brownfield register identifies 1,813 acres of brownfield sites which could provide space for more than 42,000 homes, if remediated.