£70m plan to convert the Littlewoods HQ in Liverpool into movie and TV studios has been on the cusp for more than a decade and with Mayor Steve Rotheram seeking £50m from the Government will new PM Andy Burnham say ‘action!’ or ‘cut!’? Tony McDonough reports
More than a decade after plans to transform the former Littlewoods headquarters in Liverpool into a film and TV studios complex were unveiled the project remains a dream rather than a reality.
It is a scheme with more twists and turns than a movie plot including a major tenant won and lost, a devastating fire and a series of false dawns when it comes to funding the studios which would total at least £70m and possibly more.
In January 2026 Liverpool city region Mayor Steve Rotheram, who has already committed £17m of public cash to the project, insisted he was “desperate” to get the development off the ground.
In March he went cap in hand to Whitehall, along with Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson, after admitting there was a “viability gap”. He met with officials and has spoken to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy but a breakthrough remains seemingly just out of reach.
Now that decision may end up on the desk of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. He needs no persuading of the potential benefits of major projects in the north but he is also grappling with deteriorating public finances.
In summer 2025 the developer tasked with delivering the scheme, Manchester-based Capital&Centric (C&C) admitted that, in the current climate, the cost would exceed the value of the completed development.
C&C, which has previously delivered property developments in Liverpool and has multiple schemes on the go across the UK and, according to a report in Place North West a few days ago is enjoying “red hot growth”.
It has recently secured an £860m partnership with institutional investment fund Swiss Life Asset Managers. However, this is for housing not commercial projects so the Littlewoods scheme will not see any of it. C&C says it remains committed to the project. LBN has approached the company for an update.
Plans have been in the pipeline for more than a decade to create at the 1930s art deco former Littlewoods headquarters off Edge Lane. It has seen multiple setbacks including a fire at the main building on the site in 2018.
In 2021 a council report conceded the project was “high risk” but also offered huge benefits if successful. Capital&Centric has already converted an adjacent building, the Bunker, to become a hub for creative businesses.
Both C&C and Mr Rotheram refer to the scheme as the ‘Hollywood of the north’ which always seems odd as Hollywood is in California and not in the south of England. ‘Pinewood of the north’ would seem more appropriate as Pinewood Studios have been the location for multiple blockbusters.
Rationale for the project is Liverpool’s city region’s ever-increasing popularity as a movie and TV location. The number of productions filmed here are too numerous to list but they include the BBC hit drama Peaky Blinders and Hollywood blockbuster The Batman.
This is largely thanks to the incredible work of Liverpool Film Office. Over the past five years an estimated £150m had been generated for the local economy, 5,408 direct and indirect full-time jobs have been created, and 1,607 productions facilitated.
The lack of a proper studio and sound stage as well as post-production facilities is seen as a major drag on the growth of the industry here. However, Mr Rotheram’s admission of a “viability gap” does seem at odds with the idea that there is untapped demand.
Globally, TV and film production sector is worth hundreds of billions of pounds. It could be argued that if the industry needs a studio in Liverpool it will pay for it itself rather than asking the Government for a handout.
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Liverpool City Council has no official update on potential Whitehall support for the Littlewoods scheme but LBN understands the mood is “still optimistic”.
Ultimately the final call may rest with Mr Burnham. On Friday he officially opened the new ‘Number 10 North’ in Manchester. It could be from there that he decides whether to shout ‘action!’ or whether he decided the scheme will end up on the cutting room floor.