Businesses to decide on “micro-regeneration” projects for the city centre

Liverpool city centre will see an investment of almost £10m to make the city a more attractive proposition, with city centre squares restoration a priority, alongside a new campaign to secure inward investment and a drive to bring commuters back into the city as the Business Improvement District wins a new term for the next five years. The vote was 90% in favour of the Culture & Commerce BID continuing its important work.

Businesses in the city’s historic Commercial District will have their say on “micro regeneration” projects to enhance the public realm and make improvements to make the city feel more welcoming.

At an event with levy payers, there was a call for improved wayfinding, lighting, cleansing and new planting and greening in the city. Businesses also called for more events in the Commercial District and particularly places for children to feel comfortable playing, with long-lasting physical animation, like public art. The connecting gateway between Leeds Street and the Commercial District was highlighted as a corner of the public realm to be improved. 

Liverpool Business Improvement District operates three BIDS in the city centre, each of which come up for ballot every five years. As part of that process, the BID develops a manifesto for change, with a series of pledges and a programme to invest levy payers money back into the city.

Stretching along Liverpool waterfront, into the Commercial Business District and up to Lime Street, the Culture & Commerce BID Area makes it the historic and heritage heartland of Liverpool.

With a new term running until 2031, the focus will be on encouraging footfall and commuters into the city centre and enhancing the public realm.

The key pledges are;

Encouraging inward investment to the Commercial Business District, attracting international investors and showcasing the scope of property and opportunity on offer in Liverpool city centre.

Working with city centre partners to improve wayfinding, utilising digital technology to make it easier to get around the city, with enhanced signposting.

We are an accredited Business Crime Reduction Partnership as part of our work with the BID Safety partnership including 2x police officers, DISC, radio link, city watch officer, intelligence briefings, safer-pods and work with the night-time economy.

Encourage commuters to make the most out of their days in the office, with a new LIV Card discounts for levy payers, a year-round events programme and partner offers.

Public realm improvements, including existing city centre squares and exploring new ways to animate public spaces. Activities like markets, public art and events will encourage visits and increase the dwell time, where people enjoy spending time in the public realm.

Being an advocate for the city’s businesses, providing a unified voice and a platform at local, regional, national and international level.

The Commercial District has been in a BID Area for almost two decades. In 2021, its geographical footprint was increased to include the Waterfront, helping to incorporate cultural and visitor economy destinations to generate a greater investment in the city centre.

Over those previous terms, the Culture & Commerce BID Area has seen millions of pounds of investment in the area. This has included public art and the public realm with the restoration of phone boxes, improvements to Exchange Flags and Temple Square, programmes like Must-See Month and Liverpool Restaurant Week to increase footfall and attention to culture, leisure and hospitality and the Liverpool Plinth. There has been a focus on the Waterfront and Castle Street as tourism destinations, bringing their communities together to lobby for changes they need to succeed. A central part of the strategy, post Covid, has been to give people an opportunity to do more with their time in the city centre during office days and to enhance the public realm.

Liverpool Business Improvement District is a not for profit, funded by an annual levy paid by those businesses which are eligible in designated areas of the city centre. Established in 2005, there are over 800 businesses in the city centre part of Liverpool BID Areas. The services they receive include dedicated street cleaning, networked radios to provide better security and coverage, lobbying and connectivity to those in power, including at a local, regional and national level. The funds are also used for events and animation in BID Areas designed to tell the story of particular neighbourhoods, to attract visitors and to help businesses to thrive. Liverpool BID also provides data services to help businesses understand how the city centre is performing.

Julie Johnson is Business Operations Partner at Morecrofts LLP and Chair of the Culture & Commerce Business Improvement District,

“This overwhelming endorsement by our levy payers reflects the support for the work Liverpool Business Improvement District is doing. Our vibrant city benefits from this commitment to working together and having a shared ambition that we can succeed by having a common goal; to make Liverpool a place where everyone can work, live and thrive.”

Bill Addy is the CEO of Liverpool Business Improvement District,

“We are delighted to secure another five year term for the BID. It shows the enthusiasm and support for our levy payers who can see the real difference our teams make in the city centre day in and day out. We are ambitious for Liverpool, unashamedly so, and we believe that to make this city as competitive as possible and attractive to businesses and residents alike it is vital to invest.”