If Covid-19 has had one plus side it has been to reset how we plan for the future, writes Claire Slinger, Assistant Director for Investment and Development…
Almost two years into this pandemic and a sense of de ja vu is threatening to claim another not so festive season.
Liverpool’s retail and hospitality sector is battling the Omicron variant, which is threatening a huge part of the city’s economy. We are all racing to be boosted.
Amidst the gloom, however, there are chinks of light.
Liverpool has been at the forefront of the fight against Covid, be it in pioneering mass testing, public events or the establishment of the world’s first global pandemic institute, in The Spine in Paddington Village.
And it is in the city’s ability to harness our world class knowledge sector to point not only the way out of this pandemic – and those still to come – but also the way forward for Liverpool’s economic future.
We have been thinking about the city’s post-pandemic situation since we submitted the council’s economic recovery plan to No 10 in June 2020, and that focus has not stopped.
We have sought to capitalise on our emerging strengths in the creative and knowledge sectors, which both contain high value jobs and strong career ladders.
In 2021, with a clear vision, project pipelines and positive planning, the Mayor and Cabinet have endorsed transformational schemes such as The Depot, Littlewoods Film and TV Studios and now HEMISPHERE.
This £35m development will feature 116,000 sq. ft of high quality, Grade A space for health, education, science and tech occupiers. The vision for this eco-friendly development is Liverpool’s first net zero carbon building, from a construction and operational energy perspective, demonstrating the council’s serious stance to mitigating and tackling climate change.
Decarbonising the built environment and our next decade of climate action is crucial to future proofing our city and planet and located adjacent to The Spine, HEMISPHERE is the next piece of the Knowledge Quarter jigsaw puzzle.
So why is this important?
Economic empowerment, stimulating investment in health and education to address inequalities and help people to find work and live better.
In this challenging environment, we must collaborate to recover in the short, medium and long term.
Facilitating delivery of high-quality developments to create sector growth, new jobs and apprenticeships with strong place making will support inclusion, our city plan and our mayor’s triple lock.
As we continue on a strong, but bumpy economic recovery, we must rise to the challenge and deliver good growth by focussing on investment in job creation to provide strong foundations for our future.
Developing a robust, balanced economic base is an absolute necessity for Liverpool to thrive.
The building blocks are going in – and the way forward is clear.
Yes, the past two years have been very hard, but they have presented us with the golden opportunity to reset and look forward for the next decade and beyond.
And the good news is? Expect more recovery announcements in 2022.
