Placemaking team appointed to masterplan revival of key Liverpool community

A team of placemaking experts has been selected to create a plan for the revitalisation of Pumpfields, a 75 acre zone on the northern edge of Liverpool City Centre.

The team, led by Levitt Bernstein and including:- Montagu Evans, Arup, and Turner Works, has been commissioned by Liverpool City Council to develop an ambitious vision focused on attracting investment to create a vibrant, residential led mixed use neighbourhood.

The development of Pumpfields is also seen as a key component to complement the recently announced a new:- 'Town Taskforce' submission, which spans 5km from just North of Liverpool City Centre, across Everton, Anfield, and Kirkdale and into Bootle and Sefton.

Early scoping of the visionary New Towns proposal aims to create at least 10,000 new homes and stimulate further regeneration across the City Region.

The Pumpfields team will work with local stakeholders to develop a quality, place based, delivery masterplan that meets the needs of the community and creates a high quality place to live, work, and play.

The Pumpfields plan, which has a key aim of restitching the City Centre from the Leeds Street corridor into north Liverpool, will focus on:-

Identifying opportunities for development.
Setting design guidelines.
Creating a strong policy framework.
Reusing existing buildings.
Improving public spaces, connections and infrastructure.

Once completed, the Council will seek to adopt the plan as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which will be used to guide all future developments in the area.

The revitalisation of Pumpfields has the potential to transform a long neglected area into a thriving new community, 1 that will also improve connectivity with the City Centre and the waterfront, as well as informing the work on the New Town scheme.

The plan for Pumpfields comes just a few weeks after Liverpool City Council officially submitted a visionary bid to the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government for New Town status to expand the northern fringe of the City into Bootle.

Liverpool City Council has worked in collaboration with:- Sefton Council, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Homes England, and the key landowners in the area to set out a 10 year vision for the area.

The partnership could see the ambitious proposals revitalise communities blighted by high deprivation, unlocking its economic potential for decades to come.

New Town status is a designation given to certain areas in the UK that are undergoing significant redevelopment. These areas are often characterised by a mix of old and new housing, commercial spaces, and infrastructure.

Councillor Nick Small, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet member for Growth and Development, said:- "The Pumpfields area is a vitally important part of our vision to expand out from the City Centre into North Liverpool. It's a part of Liverpool that's been overlooked but its time has now come with the emergence of the New Town plan. Pumpfields is ripe for the type of regeneration that will redraw and reshape its economic and housing landscape for the rest of this century. I welcome the appointment of this team of placemaking experts. This area deserves a plan that befits our ambitions to grow the City and to knit the Commercial District through to Ten Streets and Liverpool Waters. The vision is to build a place where people can live, work, and play. We want to create a community where everyone feels at home. This project is about more than just bricks and mortar. It's about creating opportunities for people, whether it's through new jobs, better schools, or improved transportation. We're building for the future, creating a sustainable community that will be a great place to live for generations to come."

Jo McCafferty, architect and director Levitt Bernstein, commented on behalf of the wider team:- "We are absolutely delighted to have won this vital commission to work with Liverpool City Council and the Pumpfields and Lime Kilns community to develop a ground-breaking and deliverable vision for such a strategic neighbourhood in Liverpool North. A vision which reactivates this key quarter in Liverpool, to stitch it back into the wider area, reintroduces crucial connections to the City Centre and supports site specific, mixed-use development and re-uses heritage buildings and structures, is absolutely at the heart of this project. Our team bring international experience alongside deep local knowledge and commitment to Liverpool. It is the dream commission and we have hit the ground running already this year."

Sail into the future in style with super realistic virtual tour of the new Mersey Ferry

A super realistic virtual tour gives stunning detail of how sailing on the new Mersey Ferry will look and sound. Released by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the immersive 360-degree tour leads viewers through Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal at Pier Head and on to the landing stage as the new Royal Daffodil arrives in its traditional colours of black, white and red.

Once across the drawbridge, viewers enter the stylish, fully accessible, new interior bustling with passengers and people enjoying a 30th birthday party in the ferry's event space against a backdrop of a cruise ship and Liverpool's iconic waterfront.

The fully immersive VR tour leads viewers through the Royal Daffodil's upper and lower decks; including close ups of artworks; and the ferry's outside seating area.

Construction work on the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years is well underway at Birkenhead's Cammell Laird shipyard. The vessel is due to set sail in summer 2026.

Councillor Steve Foulkes, Chair of the Transport Committee, said:- "The world famous Mersey Ferries attract visitors from around the world and they've connected communities on both sides of the River Mersey for hundreds of years. They are an instantly recognisable symbol of our City Region, around the globe. This newest virtual reality walkthrough offers prospective passengers the chance to get excited, along with us, about the future of the Mersey Ferries. Being built on the banks of the River Mersey at Cammell Laird's Birkenhead shipyard the Royal Daffodil is beginning to take shape. We've taken something that's deeply woven into the history of our Region and reimagined it for the future. This ferry isn't just about getting from one side of the river to the other�it's about the enjoyment, the views, the memories, and the moments people will share on board. From commuters to couples celebrating their wedding day, we're creating a space that's as special as the Mersey itself."

The new vessel will offer a world class experience for passengers thanks to improved accessibility, new seating areas and bars. The vessel will feature large open plan decks as well as event spaces for corporate functions and private parties.

The vessel has been designed to harness state of the art green technology, with a cutting edge Azipod propeller system for increased fuel efficiency, along with a diesel electric hybrid ready engine; with potential for future conversion to full electric propulsion as technology develops.

Accessibility is also a top priority. A designated lift will provide easy access to the upper deck, ensuring all passengers, regardless of mobility, can enjoy all of the ferry's amenities and views.

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Placemaking team appointed to masterplan revival of key Liverpool community

Sail into the future in style with super realistic virtual tour of the new Mersey Ferry