It’s been another busy year, from hosting the Prime Minister and the government during the Labour Party conference, welcoming EU Ambassadors to our city and successful events such as River of Light.
Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium has quickly established itself as one of the best brand-new stadiums anywhere in Europe. Fans are now getting into a new match-day routine, and we are continuing to work with partners to make tweaks to the traffic management around the ground, based on feedback from businesses, residents and fans groups.
During 2025 we have put in place the building blocks for several major projects that are going to transform our city over the coming years, including a new waterfront strategy to connect the river with communities.
Working with Mayor Steve Rotheram, we want to build the renaissance of north Liverpool around the docks, using Everton FC’s stadium as the driver for regeneration, using 174 hectares of brownfield land stretching from the banks of the River Mersey to the city’s Pumpfields and commercial business districts. It includes the new Central Docks development which includes a new urban park, backed by a £55m government grant, which is due for completion in 2028, as well as the emerging £1bn development at King Edward Triangle and the city’s first major Grade A office scheme in a decade at Pall Mall. We have already identified the potential for more than 17,500 new homes and 5 million sq ft of new commercial space over the next 15 years within the North Docks area.
Nearby, we have recently given the go-ahead to push ahead with the first phase of a new town for North Liverpool as part of a regeneration scheme for the Greatie Market/Scotland Road Regeneration Programme, including a comprehensive newbuild housing development which will include a Build to Rent (BTR) scheme and affordable homes delivered by Torus.
We know that you want us to do more to inject pride into our neighbourhoods. That is why we have brought in an external enforcement team who are carrying out hundreds of patrols every month, issuing fines for littering, dog fouling, mishandling waste and flytipping across the entire city. In addition, we have now brought our street cleansing and refuse teams back in-house to improve joint working practices and efficiency and will be spending £2.2 million for the roll-out of communal bins ‘hubs’ over the next three years in areas with a high density of terraced housing to help drive up recycling rates.
As part of our commitment to investing in neighbourhoods, we’ve earmarked an initial £5.18 million to begin the modernisation of Lifestyles leisure centres, including new gym equipment, refreshed reception areas, upgrades to older 3G pitches, and the creation of adventure activities. This will form the first phase of a wider improvement programme, with up to £30 million planned by 2032, including the development of new youth hubs. There is also a further £4.75 million to begin the upgrading of 23 play areas and improving a number of parks with new benches, litter bins and the resurfacing of pathways.
I am really excited about the funding the government has given us for parts of Everton, Norris Green, the area around Newsham Park and Speke for the ‘Pride in Place’ initiative. We will be working closely with local communities on ideas such as revitalising the high street, creating new spaces for young people or taking control of derelict buildings. It’s the type of investment we’ve not seen in this city from national governments for over 15 years.
Our ambition is to continue to be one of the leading cities in the world for hosting major events. Look out for an announcement early in the new year about a major event which will be coming to the city in 2027 – I am sworn to secrecy so can’t say any more at this stage! Going forward, we are working on our plans for a festival around the five games Everton FC’s stadium will be hosting as part of the Euro 2028 championships, and we have bid for the 2030 Artistic Gymnastics and are part of the bid for the Women’s World Cup in 2035. Exciting times!
I hope you have a happy and healthy new year.
Cllr Liam Robinson
Leader – Liverpool City Council