City secures £25m RGF funding for North Liverpool

Date: 10 November 2011

An initiative to create 1780 jobs and safeguard a further 2,280 in North Liverpool has today (31/10/11) received the go ahead with the award of £25m from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

The North Liverpool City Fringe Employment and Investment programme was developed by Liverpool Vision, the city’s economic development company and the City Council, in partnership with The Eldonians Group Ltd and Stanley Dock Properties.

The programme forms an overarching investment strategy for the area between Liverpool City Centre and the Liverpool Waters Enterprise Zone to ensure future employment growth while the regeneration of this area proceeds.

The Regional Growth Fund is a £1.4bn three-year fund operating across England to stimulate private sector-led sustainable economic growth and employment, provided by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.

The City Fringe programme includes three themes to encourage further private investment in the area: connections, including high speed broadband; site acquisitions and development incentives and business support.

Ian McCarthy, Director of Programmes for Liverpool Vision, said: “This funding provides a tremendous boost to the economic prospects of North Liverpool and Sefton.

“Partners have presented a compelling case to Government to help kick start major projects and remove barriers to investment in this underperforming area, which is so close to the city centre.

“I’m confident this will now stimulate further private sector investment, and employment opportunities.”

Cllr Malcolm Kennedy cabinet member for regeneration and tourism, added: “This is great news for the city. It will give a major impetus to the regeneration of the area and to the green energy agenda which will benefit the city as a whole.

“This approval provides the bridge between the transformed city centre and the tremendous investment opportunities in North Liverpool.”

The programme also comprises two projects for immediate delivery, the mixed use redevelopment of the landmark former tobacco warehouse at Stanley Dock and a low carbon combined heat and energy plant and work space.

Lawrence Santangeli, chief executive of the Eldonian Group Ltd, said: “Eldonian Group Ltd has had aspirations to develop a project which could help combat fuel poverty across the City.

“Today’s announcement will allow us to attract further investment from major energy companies to help deliver on these wider aspirations.

“This is further proof that the hard work in pulling together a delivery for the Strategic Regeneration Framework for North Liverpool and South Sefton was right on every level.”

Pat Power, development director behind the Stanley Dock Project, added: “This is a very exciting day for North Liverpool. For a long time the tobacco warehouse has been a monument to the lack of investment in the area, but this funding will now be the trigger for major redevelopment in the North Docks in the way in which Albert Dock was 20 years ago for the central docks area.”

For further information please contact Jonathan Caswell at Liverpool Vision on 0151 600 2946 or jcaswell@liverpoolvision.co.uk

‹ Back