‘New town’ status sought for Liverpool North
Liverpool City Council and partners want to deliver 10,000 homes across brownfield sites stretching from the city centre’s fringe through to Bootle town centre in Sefton.
A formal submission for New Town status has been sent to the Department of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Billed as Liverpool North, the area would span 5km between Bootle and Liverpool and include Everton, Anfield and Kirkdale.
LCC is working in collaboration with Sefton Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Homes England, and key landowners in the area to set out a 10-year vision for the area.
Tying in with major developments such as Everton FC’s move to Bramley-Moore Dock and Bootle’s New Strand scheme, LCC said that the proposals will lay the foundations for economic growth, revitalising communities blighted by high deprivation, and unlocking economic potential for decades to come.
The plan will focus on building on now-unused land and repurposing old buildings while maintaining and supporting communities that already call the area home.
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, said the project would “super-charge” plans to transform Bootle and south Sefton for the benefit of residents and businesses.
She added; “We’ve already seen the impact that our work has had so far with the creation of the Salt and Tar entertainment venue along with plans to improve the Strand Shopping Centre so it becomes a modern town centre but this would take things on to another level.
“We all know too well the challenges we have with some of the housing quality in the borough so this would also see huge improvements in the housing stock while improving our links into the city centre and beyond.”
An advantage Liverpool North has over other proposals for new towns or garden villages brought forward over the years is that transport infrastructure is already in place to support the proposed large-scale urban expansion.
Key projects as set out by the local authority include:
- Goodison Legacy: working with Everton FC and Everton in the Community, the council is developing plans for the area around Goodison Park, including a new strategic walking and cycling route, the Toffee Trail, that will unlock key housing sites.
- County Road: proposals for County Road are also being developed, with a focus on linking Goodison to the new waterfront stadium.
- Anfield: LCC is working with housing associations, commercial partners and Liverpool FC to bring forward housing and mixed-use development in the Anfield area, including a “Red Walk” connection.
- Greatie Market: a £5m investment in Great Homer Street market is expected to stimulate increased housing development in the area.
Existing projects to be linked with include Liverpool Waters, Everton’s new stadium, the Ten Streets creative district and Pumpfields.
Along with the football clubs, those involved in the process include Torus, Riverside Group, and One Vision.
Stating that a significant proportion of new homers will be affordable, LCC said that “the Liverpool North corridor represents a unique opportunity to marry urban development in Liverpool with regeneration plans in Bootle, creating a strategic city fringe location” in an area that currently faces significant challenges, including high deprivation, economic inactivity, and poor housing quality.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: “These ambitious plans mark the beginning of an era of change and transformation for the whole Liverpool City Region. If given the go-ahead by the UK government, Liverpool North will be a dramatic new landmark between the city centre and Bootle and provide a catalytic boost to the area.
“The revitalisation of communities across a huge area, from Bootle through Kirkdale, to Anfield and Everton, will give the whole region a massive economic boost, provide thousands of affordable homes and create new districts providing employment, leisure and educational opportunities.
“I can’t wait to see how this plan develops in the coming months and the difference it will make to our great city.”
Sounds good, now we just need credible and sustainable plans which not only provide decent homes, jobs and prosperity but also attractive streets. We need squares, trees, active street fronts, Merseyrail expansion and more Police on the beat. Finally its ridiculous that Bootle and all the way to Crosby is not considered officially part of the City of Liverpool when it clearly is in every way.
By GetItBuilt!
So not a ‘New Town’ at all, just an attempt to redefine the pressing need for regeneration in the context of the current Central Government funding streams.
By UnaPlanner
The kind of bold but intelligent thinking that is needed on New Towns.
By Rye
Why is Walton largely overlooked
By Anonymous
@January 02, 2025 at 12:00 pm
By GetItBuilt!
I’m not bothered if Bootle et al isn’t part of the City of Liverpool. Bigger is not always best. But I agree with everything else you said. I’d get a design code drawn up for this.
By Rye
The development of the North of Liverpool include social housing?
By Patricia Walsh
The Boote area between Liverpool boundary on Stanley Road and Hugh Baird College gets totally overlooked in every way. Streets never get cleaned, flytipping is horrendous and not one Councillor pay any attention to this area. Houses are in horrendous state. Even shops on Stanley Road with flats above are an eyesore. Bootle is not just Bootle Strand. Hope this area gets some input.
By Anonymous
Excellent idea to build 10,000 new houses.
Possible 25,000+ jobs needed to become economically independent.
However, once again the chimney sweeps, bottle washers and wheel tappers being joined by the contemporaries the Bootle Councillors emphasised the inclusion of cycle lanes.
Will the new residents to be buying literally thousands of bicycles to cycle from the ridiculous named Salt and Tar district to St John’s vacant market?
Bah Humbug.
By Anonymous
It’s about time the north of the city was connected to Sefton and the City Centre.
By Steve
Come on Liverpool City Council. Don’t waste an opportunity to create new jobs in the design and construction of these ambitious plans. Use City Region based businesses throughout the process, so that people from these very communities get opportunities to be involved in the transformation. Choose the right development partners who will enable this.
By Anonymous
Neglected for 50 years, long overdue regardless of New Town status or not
By Anonymous
I wonder if MCC will repackage Holt Town this way?
By Rich X
Such a great opportunity to rebuild with modern terraced housing with town gardens at the rear and no alleys, also acknoledging the provision of mid and high-rises in places to get the increased density for a city that once was populated by nearly 1 million people.
Hopefully this will turn out to be more than a plan, as at present Liverpool is full of City Council plans and proposals but no developers eg Kings Dock,
Pall Mall, Littlewoods, Williamson Square, Moorfields, Ten Streets, Festival Gardens, and so on.
By Anonymous
Welcome news and a clever pivot towards where the funding streams currently lie. The elephant in the room here is the combination of low aspirations and low educational attainment. You can beautify the area as much as you like, but we need to lift the aspirations of many of the residents so that they are fit for an increasingly technological and challenging employment market.
By Anonymous