Liverpool film studios: Work to start on former Littlewoods site

Remediation work is expected to be completed by the end of 2023

Development work on a former Littlewoods site is due to begin as part of a plan to create a £70m film studio.

A deal has been agreed with developer Capital & Centric to start the first phase of the project in Liverpool.

A total of £8m was approved for remediation, design and planning as part of £17m Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) funding.

The council said partnering with the developer was a "major milestone".

A contractor can now be appointed for remediation works, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Development and Economy, Councillor Sarah Doyle said: "The remediation phase of the Littlewoods Buildings is the first major milestone in transforming this iconic venue into a film centre that Liverpool deserves - and needs."

'Magnet for film'

John Moffat from Capital & Centric said regeneration was "complex" but the the legal agreements were now in place for work to start on "delivering this transformational project".

Liverpool has become a popular location for filming in recent years, welcoming a host of productions, including the BBC's Peaky Blinders, Doctor Who and Ridley Road, Netflix's Stay Close and Munich and Warner Bros' blockbuster The Batman.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, said the film studio project would "cater for every stage of the production process and create new jobs and training opportunities for local people".

"Our area has become a magnet for film and TV productions from around the world in recent years - making us the UK's most filmed location outside of London," he said.

"I want to take our region to the next level, to stake our claim as the 'Hollywood of the North'".

In October, Liverpool John Moores University, one of the main tenants for the proposed film studio development pulled out of the project.

Commercial film production company Twickenham Studios previously signed up as the "anchor tenant".