Teams of engineers surveying the existing buildings concluded that the tower needed to be dismantled and rebuilt
June 21, 2024, 1:55 p.mUpdated June 21, 2024 at 2:13 p.m
Liverpool’s Littlewoods building will have its famous tower dismantled and rebuilt as part of plans to turn the site into a film and TV destination dubbed the ‘Hollywood of the North’.
As part of the current planned work on site, an investigation is underway into what will be needed to make the building structurally sound again and ready for the final restoration to begin. Teams of engineers who examined the existing buildings concluded that the tower needed to be dismantled and rebuilt due to the decades it had been empty.
Owners Capital &Centric said digital analysis of laser monitoring – placed on the tower to track its movement and condition – confirmed what engineers assumed was that the tower was unsafe and could collapse if it remained.
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A safe zone has now been created around the tower that workers cannot enter. It will be carefully removed in the coming weeks.
The intention is to rebuild the tower on the same site using elements of the original from the overhaul of the site. Liverpool City Council is currently considering a planning application which will include the redevelopment of the tower.
Work began on the Littlewoods site in December last year. Since then, the team has been assessing the building’s condition in stages, peeling back layers and ensuring the structural integrity of each section.
Once complete, it will pave the way for major contractors to move in, with two new 20,000 sq ft studios for big-budget productions, the first of which will be built on an adjacent property.
Plans submitted to the city council detail how the Littlewoods project will open the site to the public for the first time, with landscaped courtyard gardens and a roof terrace, screening and performance area and dining area.
Capital&Centric is currently in talks with a number of operators interested in using space at the site, with the vision of transforming the 1930s buildings into an internationally recognized destination for television and film production.
The company is working with Liverpool Council as the land owner and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as the funding organizations for the project. The combined authority, led by Mayor Steve Rotheram, has committed £17m to the project.
John Moffat, joint managing director of Capital&Centric, said: “We are entering a critical phase of the restoration as we peel back the layers after decades of empty building. The building reveals itself and shows us where it most needs our input.
“We explored all options to secure the original structure of the tower in place, but the conclusions of several teams of experts confirmed that we must dismantle it, reuse as much material as possible and rebuild the structure of the tower. We want to do it soon. If the tower were to collapse, it could not only seriously damage the rest of the building, but also put lives at risk.
“Our priority is to keep everyone safe and save the buildings as much as we can and try to minimize the amount of structures that need to be rebuilt.”
He added: “We have restored many listed buildings and our experience has meant that we have always assumed that ongoing refurbishment will reveal structural problems. Dismantling the tower will be more expensive, but it is a necessary last resort – one that can be covered by the existing project budget.
“It is likely that the building will look quite sad after part of the tower is removed, but it will improve over time as the restoration works progress. Our intention is to record the structure in detail, retain what we can of the materials, and rebuild it as part of the repurposing of the site as a cultural center for television and film. Elsewhere on the site they are doing well clearing buildings of age-old debris and decay and preparing two wings for rebuilding.’
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, said: “Littlewoods has been a huge part of the Liverpool community for generations and I know it holds a special place in the hearts of many of our residents. Throughout this process, we are committed to preserving the building’s iconic heritage, but we must also ensure that it is carefully and safely restored to meet their great ambitions for its future.
“Our area is already the second most filmed location outside of London and the £17m the Combined Authority has invested in this project will ensure Liverpool City Region can continue to cater for every stage of the production process and attract thousands of jobs and training. the opportunities it will bring. It’s a huge step towards cementing the city region’s status as the Hollywood of the North.”
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