Liverpool’s
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY Newsletter 1
September 2012
The story so far in South Liverpool…… •
Over 2000 new jobs created within the past 18 months
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More than 500 new homes completed or in the pipeline
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In excess of 80,000 sq ft of new employment space developed within the last 12 months
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One new school due for completion by September 2013
THE PLACE TO WORK
THE PLACE TO LIVE
The Gateway has benefitted from significant investment over the past 12 months, with major new employers such as B&M Bargains coming into the area. Jaguar Land Rover has been expanding rapidly and new developments are coming online at Estuary Business Park with the Capital & Centric scheme due to complete in August 2012. Many businesses continue to expand, which will lead to enhanced employment opportunities.
Both private and public sectors are very active. The next phase of Redrow’s Cressington Heath development is progressing well, South Liverpool Homes have appointed a development partner to deliver new houses in Speke and Garston, Barratt Homes have started work on “Imagine Park” on Speke Hall Road to provide 268 new homes. Meanwhile, Lovell’s development “Under the Bridge” has transformed the area with a range of new house types.
THE PLACE TO INVEST
THE PLACE TO SHOP
International Gateway is home to Liverpool’s premier outof-town business location at Estuary Commerce Park and Liverpool International Business Park. Both locations have fully serviced sites available to purchase. Investment opportunities are also available at Venture Point which is aimed at the smaller owner-occupier market. The City Council’s Development Team have produced a prospectus of sites available for investment across the whole area.
The New Mersey Shopping Park continues to perform extremely well with reported footfall maintaining a good level and all of the units occupied. Dobbies Garden Centre opened its doors on 22nd September 2011, Hunts Cross is trading very well with a number of new retailers investing, and the popular Garston Market has breathed new life into Garston Village.
GOING PLACES LOCAL SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT FUND (LSTF) Our area’s share of this new Department for Transport funding amounts to £516,371. £203,040 will be spent on reducing carbon emissions and congestion in the Speke area with cycling and pedestrian infrastructure improvements to improve local connectivity to jobs, services, and transport hubs. The remaining £313,331 will be spent on a Transport Hub supporting sustainable transport initiatives targeted at residents and businesses to encourage sustainable travel. The project will deliver a programme of bike rides and led walks, train volunteers, and develop initiatives to increase bike ownership. It will also seek to remove transport barriers such as low travel horizons, limited confidence and/or experience and difficulty in interpreting public transport information with the aim of helping local residents to use transport as a key tool to accessing essential employment, education, skills, training opportunities, and other services.
Speke Estate – SLH Affordable Housing Programme
“NEW” SOUTH LIVERPOOL BOARD FORMED TO OVERSEE STRATEGIC REGENERATION FRAMEWORK The South Liverpool Board is chaired by Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips and comprises of key individuals from the Local Enterprise Partnership, Homes & Communities Agency, Liverpool Vision, Port of Garston, Maria Eagle MP, LCC Cabinet Member for Regeneration, ward councillors, the National Trust as well as representatives from the business and education sectors. The Board will oversee a Steering Group which comprises of key members who represent the area’s diverse economy. The Steering Group will be responsible for delivering the various development areas set out in the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF), a newly produced key document that sets out how regeneration will continue in South Liverpool over the next fifteen years. This is the first of quarterly newsletters which will keep the wider community informed of progress.
FEATURE PROPERTY: HIDDEN (SQUEAKY CLEAN) JEWEL IN SPEKE
SLH and its development partner are building 185 new homes representing over £20 million investment in the next three years across Speke and Garston – the first new build of affordable homes in the area for over 30 years. The homes will be a mix of affordable rent, shared ownership and market sale with 60 of the affordable rented homes being partly funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the other 35 funded by SLH through Liverpool City Council’s Housing Delivery Plan. The developments will support the wider regeneration of the Speke area through a more balanced tenure mix.
THE PLACE TO VISIT SPEKE AND GARSTON COASTAL RESERVE After a gap of several years, the Speke & Garston Coastal Reserve Steering Group has reconvened with all key stakeholders (Peel, National Trust, Liverpool Sailing Club & Liverpool City Council) meeting on a regular basis to develop proposals which will help enhance, promote and manage this valuable asset. Initial ideas are being developed around access and signage, and the group are exploring various funding sources that may assist in the implementation of a range of projects.
Situated between Speke Boulevard and Evans Road, the recently refurbished Liverpool Science Centre offers fully serviced pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, specialised ‘Clean Room’ facilities, laboratories and offices all within a landscaped environment. This facility is ideally placed to offer a unique opportunity for companies seeking access to clean room facilities and laboratories for start up activities, grow on space and start up manufacturing within the BioMed and associated sectors. It would also be suitable for food production and advanced manufacturing companies. With a total footprint of 97,385 sq ft (9,047 sqm), the whole building is available as freehold, or leasehold in smaller units of 807 to 5,543 sq ft (75 to 515 sqm) featuring clean rooms or laboratories, separate office and support areas. All rooms can meet Class 2 regulations, and the building can supply up to Class 3 facilities if required.
PUBLISHED BY: REGENERATION DEVELOPMENT TEAM, LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL, MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS, DALE STREET, LIVERPOOL L2 2DH TEL: 0151 233 2748 EMAIL: ALEXANDER.OGSTON@LIVERPOOL.GOV.UK