City Council’s acquisition of key site close to Edge Lane will allow developer Capital & Centric to press ahead with a plan to provide a movie post-production complex in central Liverpool. Tony McDonough reports

A £30m ‘Pinewood of the North’ film studio complex long planned for central Liverpool will move a step close with the purchase of a key piece of land.

Manchester developer Capital & Centric first proposed the scheme centred around the Art Deco former Littlewoods headquarters off Edge Lane back in 2016. The company has already successfully redeveloped an adjacent former storage building called ‘The Bunker’ which is now home to a number of digital and creative businesses.

Now Liverpool City Council’s cabinet is set to approve the £1.8m purchase of 11.47 acres of land, known as the MTL site, next to the former Littlewoods site, a move that will allow C&C to begin work on Liverpool Film Studios this summer.

Movie hotspot

In recent years Liverpool has become a sought-after location for TV drama and movie-makers – the most popular outside London – with productions such as Sherlock Holmes, Captain America, Jack Ryan, Fast and Furious 6, Nowhere Boy and Peaky Blinders and Foyle’s War.

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It generates tens of millions of pounds a year for the city but once the cameras stop rolling the post-production takes place elsewhere. It is hoped that by providing post-production facilities those revenues could rise further.

Job Creation

It is envisaged the MTL site, owned by Homes England (formally known as the Homes and Communities Agency) will become the heart of the media and creative industry in the city and will deliver comprehensive regeneration, job creation and promote further investment across the Central Liverpool Mayoral Development Zone.

Capital & Centric, which has already successfully delivered a number of industrial and office schemes across the city, aims to start work on the 250,000 sq ft film studio complex during the summer.

Tipping point

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, who is also championing Liverpool’s bid to be the new home for Channel 4, said: “Liverpool’s digital and film industry has reached a tipping point where a major film studio would complete our world class offer and supercharge our plans to create one of Europe’s leading creative centres.

“We have unbelievably talented writers, actors, directors, technical crews and programmers, our Film Office and locations are second to none, and now with the Liverpool Film Studios we will soon have the very best in green screen filming and editing suites.”

John Moffat, of Capital & Centric added: “This is an important milestone in securing the land for our work at Littlewoods, where we’ll mix heritage and new build development to form a creative hub for the North.

“Demand for the space has blown us away and we can’t wait to announce our first residents in the coming months.”