A £2bn Liverpool City Region Investment Fund will be unveiled today – a landmark investment designed to accelerate economic growth, unlock major development and create thousands of high-quality jobs across the region.
The largest fund of its kind ever announced for the City Region, it will bring together new and existing public funding into a single investment pot, helping unlock stalled sites, accelerate regeneration and attract billions more in private and institutional investment.
The fund forms a central part of the City Region’s long-term plan to grow the economy by £10bn over the next decade, creating tens of thousands of new jobs and strengthening its position as one of the UK’s leading centres for innovation and advanced manufacturing.
Initial investments will focus on delivering high-quality office space in Liverpool city centre alongside new lab space and tight industrial units across the wider City Region – supporting fast-growing sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences and digital technology.
The fund will also help fast-track housebuilding across the City Region, supporting a £2bn development pipeline expected to deliver up to 64,000 new homes and the infrastructure needed to support growing communities.
Further investment will support major transport improvements and regeneration projects, including plans for four new rail stations, a rapid transit system and transport-linked development across the region.
Mayor Steve Rotheram unveiled the Investment Fund at MIPIM, the world’s leading real estate event, where the Liverpool City Region is showcasing more than £11bn of investment opportunities and sending a clear message to international investors: now is the time to invest.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“Anyone who knows this region knows we’ve never been short of ambition – what we’ve sometimes lacked are the tools and funding to turn that ambition into reality.
“Over the last few years, however, devolution has started to change that. We’ve been able to put our money where our mouth is and invest in things that really matter to people here – new train stations, a publicly owned fleet of trains, multi-modal interchanges, a fast-growing digital network and tens of thousands of new jobs and apprenticeships. In short, all of the ingredients to make the Liverpool City Region the best place to grow up, grow a business and grow a family.
“But we all know there’s still so much more potential waiting to be unlocked. Too many sites have stood still for years, too many opportunities have passed us by, and too many talented young people have felt they’ve had to leave the region to get on in life.
“Well no longer. With this £2bn Investment Fund we’re setting out to change that – giving us the firepower to unlock development, build the homes people need and back the industries that will create the next generation of good, well-paid jobs.
“The Liverpool City Region has always been a place that looks outward – trading, creating and innovating with the rest of the world. What we’re saying at MIPIM this week is simple: if you want to be part of what comes next for this region, now’s the time to get involved.”
The Investment Fund has been created by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority in collaboration with government and key public and private sector partners.
It will support the City Region’s Local Growth Plan – a decade-long strategy designed to raise productivity, strengthen key industries and deliver sustainable, inclusive economic growth.
Alongside commercial development, the fund will support investment across a number of high-growth sectors including digital and technology, creative industries, advanced manufacturing and life sciences.
The Liverpool City Region has seen significant economic momentum since the introduction of devolution, with transformational projects delivered across every borough.
These include two new rail stations, a new £500m publicly owned train fleet – one of the most accessible in the country – tens of thousands of new and improved homes, a 350km ultrafast full-fibre digital network and tens of thousands of jobs and apprenticeships.
Recent international investments underline growing confidence in the region’s economy, including a major investment by US technology company Kyndryl, which is set to create up to 1,000 jobs at its new Liverpool city centre hub.
The Investment Fund will also support major regeneration opportunities across the region, including Liverpool’s North Docks – the area between the city centre and Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium – where a new Mayoral Development Corporation will help accelerate investment and development.
A new Industrial Strategy Zone will help drive hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into sectors including health and life sciences, logistics, advanced manufacturing and green technologies.
Initial funding has already been committed to unlock new commercial space at Sci-Tech Daresbury, with further investment opportunities set to be identified through a competitive process launched last week.
Liverpool was recently named England’s hottest property destination, with house prices rising by 8.5% despite a sluggish national market, driven by affordability and strong rental demand.
Combined with the City Region’s world-famous culture, heritage and sport – alongside world-leading research and innovation from its universities – the region continues to attract talent, businesses and investment from across the UK and around the world.
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