Major Pall Mall investment could bring hundreds of jobs to Liverpool city centre
Liverpool City Council is set to consider a major investment in the long-awaited Pall Mall development as part of plans to boost the city centre economy, attract new businesses and create hundreds of jobs.
The Council’s Cabinet will next week be asked to support the delivery of the first phase of Pall Mall Gardens, a flagship Grade A office scheme in Liverpool’s commercial district.
The development would provide more than 107,000 sq ft of high-quality office space close to St Paul’s Square and Moorfields Station.
Council leaders say the investment is needed to address a long-running shortage of modern Grade A office accommodation in the city centre, which has been identified as a barrier to attracting new employers and retaining growing businesses.
Demand for high-quality workspace in Liverpool is currently said to be outstripping supply, with no significant new Grade A office building delivered in the city centre for more than a decade.
If approved, the Council’s involvement would help reduce risk around the scheme and unlock wider private sector investment. The Council would help fund the development and own the building in the short term once completed, before selling it to a private investor.
The report says this approach avoids longer-term commitments previously considered by the Council, while still enabling the scheme to move forward.
Similar forms of public sector support have been used in cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and London to help bring forward major commercial developments through investment, land assembly, infrastructure funding and development partnerships.
The Council says the aim is to ensure Liverpool can compete with other major UK cities for high-value employers, skilled jobs and inward investment.
The development is expected to support construction jobs during the build, create the conditions for hundreds of long-term jobs once occupied, generate additional business rates income and support local supply chains.
It is also hoped the scheme will help retain talented graduates and young professionals by providing the type of modern workspace demanded by growing businesses.
Alongside the office building, Pall Mall Gardens would include around half a hectare of new green space, improved links to Moorfields Station and a highly sustainable building designed to meet modern environmental standards.
The green space would be funded through ring-fenced Section 106 contributions, which must be allocated to projects in that part of the city centre.
Pall Mall Gardens would form the first phase of a wider regeneration programme for Liverpool’s commercial district.
Subject to Cabinet approval and delivery milestones being met, construction is expected to begin in 2027, with occupation planned for late 2028.
Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy, said:
“Cities that have successfully grown their economies over the past decade have often done so through targeted public investment that unlocks private sector confidence. Manchester, Birmingham and others have shown how strategic intervention can help bring forward developments that create jobs, attract investment and strengthen city centres.
“Liverpool has ambitious businesses, a growing knowledge economy and a talented workforce, but we need the right commercial space if we’re going to attract and retain investment. Pall Mall would provide that opportunity.
“This is not simply an investment in a building. It is an investment in Liverpool’s future economic growth. By helping unlock a development that the market has not delivered on its own, we can create jobs, support businesses and generate long-term benefits for residents and the wider city.”
