Liverpool City Council is to buy Liverpool Central Shopping Centre

LIVERPOOL City Council will be purchasing the lease from Aviva Life and Pensions UK Ltd, as part of a programme to stimulate the wider redevelopment of the nearby Knowledge Quarter Gateway zone, which includes the Circus Liverpool development and from Lime Street to Bold Street.

A report to the City Council's Cabinet, on Friday, 25 May 2018, is recommending the acquisition of the Centre's 114 year lease and for the Council to simultaneously enter into a 20 year under lease with Liverpool CSC Ltd.

The proposed tenant company is related to the Augur Group, which has taken over the previously stalled redevelopment of the Lewis's building and surrounding plots, and they will also have an option to purchase the shopping centre from the Council after 5 years.

The underlease for the Centre, which contains 21 retail units covering more than 50,000 sq ft, will earn the Council ₤4.3m over the 1st 5 years; meaning it will make a profit over the loan repayments to facilitate the purchase.

Buying the Shopping Centre is also part of the Council's Invest to Earn strategy, which uses the Council's ability to borrow at low rates to stimulate profit that is then reinvested in services, and follows similar deals such as the purchase of the Cunard Building which now generates a rental income of ₤2m a year.

This strategy has been developed to protect the most essential services in the face of a ₤444m cut to the Council's budget by 2020 since 2010.

The shopping centre boasts huge footfall as it doubles as the main entrance to Liverpool Central Station; 1 of the busiest rail stations in the UK, with passenger numbers reaching 16 million per year.

Liverpool City Council are currently assessing tenders to develop a master plan for the Knowledge Quarter Gateway Zone, which would encompass the Council's multi million pound plans to redevelop Lime Street and Bold Street and connect it's ₤1bn Paddington Village scheme to the main retail core of the City Centre.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "The purchase of Central Shopping Centre is too good an opportunity to pass up. It enables us to acquire a strategic site in a prime City Centre location which we have plans to regenerate and the investment makes a profit for the Council to reinvest in our services. The beauty of this deal also means that plans for Lime Street, Lewis's Building, Circus Liverpool and Central Shopping Centre are now all inter connected. This will all help to underpin the development of the Knowledge Quarter Gateway which is the next major piece in a 10 year plan to regenerate the City Centre and finally connect the Waterfront to our Universities."

Council staff do 'some tin' amazing

WHEN it comes to supporting a really worthy cause, staff at Liverpool City Council have got a real 'can do' spirit. Over the past 2 weeks Council workers from across the organisation have been rummaging through the cupboards to find tins, cartons and packets to help people in need. The collection netted more than 1.5 tons of food, which will keep the food banks going for a week. The campaign also collected more than ₤600 in donations for the cause.

It's all part of Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson's support for the Liverpool North and Liverpool South Food banks through the Mayoral Hope Fund.

The 2 food banks belong to the Trussell Trust network and are based at St Andrew's Community Network (North Liverpool) and Bridge Chapel Centre (South Liverpool). They provide emergency parcels, including 3 days' worth of food and other basic items, for vulnerable families and people in crisis.

Between them the food banks fed more than 11,000 people last year, including more than 3,000 children. Organisers warn that the numbers continue to rise and resources are being spread ever more thinly.

Food parcels are typically made up of long shelf life items such as tinned food, jam and dried rice and pasta. The food banks often have an urgent need for long-life juice and UHT milk.

To help, the Council's charity champions set up collection points in offices and other buildings including The Cunard, Central Library and Broadgreen Hospital. And the donations came flooding in.

Simon Huthwaite, who is Operations Manager of St Andrew's Community Network, said:- "Our food banks rely on donations from organisations and members of the public. There is a constant demand so this donation will be crucial to help keep children and families fed. It's great that so many people working for the Council have taken the time to support the campaign."

Simon was on hand at The Cunard Building recently to receive the donations from Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson.

Mayor Anderson said:- "Liverpool's food banks do a tremendous job and offer a real lifeline to people and families who are in dire need. Whilst I wish we didn't need food banks we all need to support the great work they do. I am extremely proud of all our staff at the City Council who have once again shown a caring attitude and great community spirit."

To find out more about Liverpool's Food banks and how you can help, visit:- SouthLiverpool.FoodBank.Org.UK or NorthLiverpool.FoodBank.Org.UK.