Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has suggested the city council and combined authority could look to borrow to get the project up and running
The Clock Tower being demolished at the former Littlewoods Building in 2024(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A “cocktail of funding” may be needed to get an iconic Liverpool film studio off the ground. This includes borrowing by the city council according to the region’s Metro Mayor.
For decades, the remains of what was the Littlewoods building has cast a long shadow over Edge Lane towards the city centre. The ECHO revealed last month how plans for the site are to go before the government in February to see if ministers can help bridge a viability gap.
New wings on the building were scheduled for a 2026 open date with the full scheme earmarked for a 2027 completion. Now, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has suggested the city council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority may look to borrow funds to get the project moving.
In December 2023, it began the process of converting the site into the TV and film studio complex in a £70m project. Two new 20,000 square foot studio stages are planned to be the first structures to be constructed on the land.
Built in 1938, the art-deco building was first developed by John Moores as the headquarters for the Littlewoods football pools, a business which at its peak had 16 million weekly players.
The Littlewoods Pools Company continued to operate in the building until its closure in November 1994 after the National Lottery reduced its customer base.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, on site at Littlewoods in 2024(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
The building is divided into three sections including the east and west wings, separated by a 1960s addition, the Hangar. Remediation work has taken place and planning permission for the construction process was granted in October 2024.
Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, told the ECHO talks are ongoing at the highest levels of government to get ministers on board. It was revealed in August how developer Capital&Centric (C&C) had entered into discussions about funding for the project with the government.
The firm said last summer how the cost of delivering the project “in the current climate exceeds the value of the completed development”.
Remediation work at the Littlewoods building in 2024(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, Mr Rotheram said he remained confident the project would go ahead and suggested there may be other ways besides financial backing from Whitehall to get wheels turning.
He said: “I’m really hopeful. We have to find a way, I do think we continually only look to one source, which is government funding.
“We perhaps need to look at how we can get a cocktail of funding, including some government support, but that might include ourselves and Liverpool Council having to borrow to see whether we can get this.
“They would get a business rate receipt off it, the government would get employment receipts through taxation, it’s a win win, we’ve just got to make the figures stack up.”