First look inside historic Littlewoods building in Liverpool as stage one to rebuild complete

ITV Granada Reports correspondent Victoria Grimes was invited along to see what work needs to be carried out.

ITV Granada has been given the first look inside the historic Littlewoods building in Liverpool as work continues to transform it into a major film studio and TV complex.

Built in the 1930s to house the Littlewoods football pools enterprise, the huge Art Deco style building on Edge Lane was closed in closed in 1994, and has stood empty ever since.

A fire in 2018 caused damage to a large part of the interior, but now stage one of the rebuild, which was demolishing parts of it and making it safe, is complete.

The clocktower has been temporarily dismantled after being assessed as unsafe and at risk of collapse.

Elsewhere, the building’s walls have been stabilised and the two wings cleared ready to be restored and repurposed.

A central hangar – which will become a food hall, screening and performance zone alongside a green courtyard – has also been fully cleared ready for construction to get going.

The efforts to bring the site to completion have involved Liverpool City Council, as freeholders, and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, led by Steve Rotheram, which has pledged up to £17m to see the vision become a reality.

Mr Rotheram said: "Since visiting last December, it’s really encouraging to see how much care and hard work has gone into the remediation of this iconic site.

"For years now, our area has been a prominent backdrop for some of the biggest film and TV productions on screen, earning our place as the most filmed location outside of London. But I don’t want to stop there.

"That’s why we have invested £17m in Littlewoods and The Depot, equipping our area now and in the future to facilitate every step of the production process, attracting thousands of jobs and training opportunities.

"Today marks a significant milestone in bringing this vision to life and establishing ourselves as the Hollywood of the North."

What the building looks like inside now

Liverpool is the most filmed-in city in the UK with the city being the location for an array of popular TV, film and music features, including the music video for Taylor Swift's song "I Can See You (Taylor's Version)".

As well as movies including The Batman, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Fast & Furious 6.

Capital&Centric, who are in charge of the rebuild have now launched a call for would-be main contractors to express an interest in transforming the site.

The appointed team will be responsible for the re-working of the existing wings, replacing the clock tower and building two 20,000 square foot sound stages on neighbouring land.

John Moffat, joint managing director at Capital&Centric said: "A lot care and attention has led to this moment and we’re proud to give a first look inside the building now it’s safe to do so.

"Our team has worked carefully to make sure we retained as much of the original structure as we could, given we found sections were at real risk of collapse.

"We’re nearing the end of this first stage and are itching to get going on the next phase, which will see the iconic building restored and repurposed, to be enjoyed for decades to come."

John Moffat also spoke about the history of the building, which in September 1939, after the outbreak of World War II, was building was requisitioned by the government, becoming the home of the postal censorship department.

Its printing presses were also used to print National Registration forms.

Later in the war, the building was put to various other uses, including the manufacture of floors for Halifax bombers.

In November 1945, the building was handed over to the war casualties department, and was finally released back to Littlewoods the following year.

Phase two will see a planning application being put forwards to Liverpool City Council which it's hoped will be approved in the next couple of months, followed by the appointment of the main contractors.

It's hoped the site will be up and running by 2027.