Littlewoods Building owner vows to press on with £50m studio plans

The owner of the Littlewoods Building which was ravaged by fire last night have pledged to continue with their plan to turn the site into the ‘Hollywood of the North’.

Fire crews battled throughout the night to prevent the blaze spreading through the iconic Art Deco building on Edge Lane after fire broke out shortly before 8pm last night.

Manchester property company Capital & Centric and media group Twickenham Studios had announced plans earlier this year to convert the former football pools base into a state-of-the-art film studios, creating more than 500 jobs, with around 2,000 more in support services as part of a £50m strategy.

But as Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service continued dampening down operations this morning, Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital & Centric, said they plan to restore the stricken building and press on with their plans.

He said: “While there is damage to the floor and roof, the walls of the west wing and overall structure seem intact.

“We’ll know more once we can get inside, but we’re extremely hopeful that we’ll be able to save the iconic structure that people see from Edge Lane.

“The building is so important to the social heritage of Liverpool and has always been at the heart of our plans to create a hub for TV and film.

“We won’t let this put us off.”

He added: “The city’s outpouring of good will for our restoration plans has floored us.

“This is a setback, but we won’t let it hamper our ambitions for Littlewoods to be the home of Liverpool’s creative industries.”

And he said: “Last night was extremely difficult for our team, the city and the many thousands with a connection to this landmark building.

“Our heartfelt thanks go out to the fire service, who battled throughout the night to save as much as they could.”