Liverpool’s northern dockland has long been the engine room of the city’s cultural sector. Day in and day out, artists, makers, musicians and producers work across the North Docks turning creative vision into reality. It’s where things are made, like large-scale installations, stage sets, shows, and nightlife. Its creative output powers internationally recognised events, from Eurovision and River of Light, and contributes to major film and TV projects.
With the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) proposing a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for the area, we have a generational opportunity to get the strategy right. To not just protect creative organisations, but super charge their growth.
Today, we are publishing our response to the MDC consultation. We are laying out a clear vision for how strategic investment can secure the permanent home of Liverpool’s Cultural Workshop. An opportunity to create harmony between the new and the existing, and unlock millions in value for the local economy.
Why the North Docks Matter
The North Docks is not an empty canvas waiting to be defined. It is already a thriving, high-value cultural production hub.
Between 2016 and 2019 alone, our creative community generated £14.9 million in societal value. With long-term security and targeted backing, we estimate the area can deliver over £5 million in societal and economic value every single year.
To realise that potential, future development must build alongside the people who have shaped this area for over a decade, rather than pushing them out.
Key Recommendations at a Glance
Our response report outlines four critical pillars for sustainable, place-led growth:
- Strategic Land Assembly: Securing long-term site control to give cultural producers, makers, and grassroots organisations the permanent footprint they need to thrive.
- Stronger Protections for Cultural Assets: Ensuring that regeneration safeguards the existing creative ecosystem rather than pricing it out.
- Adoption of the Agent of Change Principle: Protecting established creative venues and workshops from noise and planning conflicts as new residential or commercial developments move in.
- Moving Beyond “Ten Streets”: Retire the unsuccessful “Ten Streets” branding in favour of genuine, place-led investment built around the authentic identity and community already rooted in the North Docks.
Liverpool’s creative economy is one of its greatest providers of jobs, with huge international reputation, and good economic growth. The Combined Authority has the power to transform the Northern Docklands, but only if it works hand-in-hand with the artists and makers who give the area its purpose.
Read our full response and recommendations to the Mayoral Development Corporation consultation below.
