A proposed £5bn regeneration project centred around Liverpool Central Station could unlock the next phase of the city’s transformation, bringing new investment opportunities and potentially breathing life into two of Liverpool’s most recognisable landmark buildings.
While Liverpool has undergone a dramatic renaissance over the past two decades through developments such as Liverpool ONE, the waterfront and Liverpool Waters, the area linking Lime Street and Central Station has seen far less investment. Despite its strategic location between the retail core and the Knowledge Quarter, parts of the district remain dominated by underused buildings and ageing public spaces.
That could now all change. Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority are advancing plans for a major overhaul of the area surrounding the 150-year-old Central Station. The project would cover an 86-acre zone stretching across a key section of the city centre and is intended to improve connectivity, public spaces and development opportunities.
Regeneration plans
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram sees the proposed high-speed rail connection between Liverpool and Manchester as a potential catalyst for the scheme, although local leaders have stressed that regeneration plans will move forward regardless of whether the rail project is ultimately delivered.
The ambition is to create a stronger link between Liverpool’s retail district and the rapidly expanding Knowledge Quarter, which has become a major hub for education, research, healthcare and innovation.
Among the buildings that could benefit are the former Lewis’s department store and the long-vacant ABC Cinema, two Grade II-listed landmarks that sit at either end of a stretch of Lime Street often viewed as one of the city centre’s most neglected areas. Liverpool Business News reports that the regeneration proposals could help unlock new uses for both buildings.
The Lewis’s building
The Lewis’s building, completed in 1856, remains one of Liverpool’s best-known commercial properties. Although parts of the building remain occupied and income-generating, significant floorspace is available, creating scope for future mixed-use development.
The site has long been viewed as a regeneration opportunity. It was previously included within the proposed £105m Central Village scheme, which would have delivered apartments, leisure facilities and a cinema on land around Central Station. Despite refurbishment work taking place at Lewis’s, the wider project never progressed.
The building also remains a significant cultural landmark thanks to Jacob Epstein’s famous “Dickie Lewis” statue above the main entrance, a feature that has become part of Liverpool folklore.
ABC Cinema
Nearby, the former ABC Cinema presents an even greater regeneration challenge. Empty since 1998, the building has been the subject of several redevelopment proposals over the years, including plans for a music and entertainment venue that ultimately failed to proceed.
Liverpool City Council says bringing the building back into active use remains a long-term ambition. The authority believes its position at a major gateway into the city centre makes it an important part of the wider regeneration programme and says it continues to explore options with potential partners and operators.
For property investors, the significance of the Central Station project extends beyond the future of two historic buildings.
Central Station corridor
Large-scale transport and infrastructure schemes have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to attract private investment, support residential development and drive long-term value growth in surrounding areas. With Liverpool continuing to expand beyond its waterfront success story, the Central Station corridor could emerge as one of the city’s most important regeneration opportunities over the coming decade.
While plans remain at an early stage, the scale of the ambition suggests Liverpool’s next major chapter of growth may be focused not on the docks, but on the historic commercial heart of the city itself.
