City Centre SIA
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Background:
In July 1999, the North West Regional Strategy outlined what it believed would be needed for the recovery of the North West economy. Key to this recovery was the renaissance of the two major cities of Liverpool and Manchester.
Liverpool City Centre is seen as a huge investment priority for the North West. It can help to reverse the economic decline of Merseyside and to drive forward the future prospects for the region as a whole.
Liverpool City Centre is important because it:
- has a clear international identity and a recognisable brand;
- has Merseyside's largest number of jobs in one place, with 5000 firms employing some 202,000 people;
- is the region's largest centre for shopping, higher education, leisure, tourism, entertainment and cultural activity;
- is the heart of the conurbation's public transport system; and
- offers the best chance for both growth and prosperity and the reaching of Liverpool Partnership Group's aim to make Liverpool a premier European city.
The city centre has seen much change and growth in recent years. Many things that were wrong have been put right, including traffic circulation, improved bus and other public transport facilities, new and better quality pavings, and more.
Liverpool is starting to take pride in itself again. Many major regeneration schemes have transformed the city centre to show the city at its best during 2008, its year as the European Capital of Culture.
To drive and maintain this momentum, Liverpool set up of one of the first Urban Regeneration Companies in the UK. This was a partnership between NWDA, Liverpool City Council and English Partnerships called Liverpool Vision.
Funding:
To make the Vision and Strategy happen, money was made available from a number of sources. These included EU Structural Funds; the City Council; Northwest Development Agency; national and public programmes and services; the private sector; and community and voluntary organisations.
As a Strategic Investment Area, the city centre has been given £38.6 million from the European Objective 1 Funding Programme. It also received £25 million from the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) programme.
Contacts:
If you want to know more about the city cente and its major developments, please contact Liverpool Vision on 0151 600 2900 E-mail: info@liverpoolvision.co.uk
Do you want to know about Liverpool First? Please contact the Liverpool First on 0151 296 7553 or see their website at www.liverpoolfirst.org.uk