Metro Mayor hails ‘real transformational potential’ of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle

A vision to create almost one million sq ft of new employment space for Liverpool creative businesses has received the backing of City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.

Speaking following a joint visit to the city’s Baltic Triangle and Brewery Village area with Local Enterprise Partnership chair Asif Hamid MBE and MD Mark Basnett, Mr Rotheram said he sees “massive and untapped potential” for the area to become a “significant catalyst” in the development of Liverpool’s future economy.

After meeting with businesses, the minds behind Baltic Creative and the owners of the Brewery Village site, he said: “If there was a single developer or occupier promising to deliver a million square feet of new employment space we would be hailing it as a game changer.

“But this could be even more important. The energy, invention and entrepreneurialism that is taking root in the Baltic has real transformational potential.”

The Metro Mayor’s comments were made ahead of next week’s Digital Summit, where he will detail plans to make the City Region the most digitally connected area in the UK.

Connectivity was high on the agenda during the Baltic meeting, with entrepreneurs there calling for better digital connectivity as they presented their case for the potential re-opening of the old St James station, located on the Northern line between Brunswick and Liverpool Central.

Sudarghara Dusanj, Cain’s site owner and sponsor of the Brewery Village vision, said: “We were delighted to host the visit and welcomed the Metro Mayor’s strong support for the area and recognition of its unique potential.

“Our plans are plugged into the wider vision for the Baltic area with a creative mix of business, culture and living space that adds up to a unique sense of place.”

He continued: “We have seen recently how this kind of mix, allied to an outstanding heritage offer, has worked in places like Battersea, attracting global tech companies to a former industrial site.

“We believe the Cain’s building and the Brewery Village development can be a decisive addition to the Baltic’s already burgeoning business community.”

Mark Lawlor, Baltic Creative chief executive, commented: “The Baltic Triangle continues to grow and we at Baltic Creative are delighted to see the Brewery Village, home of our Northern Lights scheme, emerge in the last 12 months.

“It’s just an incredible place to live and work and the “Ambition” the area is showing is just incredible. This coupled with the recent positive results of the Merseytravel need/demand assessment for the reopening of St James Street Station is fantastic.”

He added: “We all understand the station is an ‘Ambition’ project for the Baltic but its ultimate delivery will see the area explode in terms of investment and high value jobs for the city.”

LEP chair Asif Hamid, the Combined Authority’s Portfolio Lead for Business and Brexit, said: “It was fantastic to visit the Brewery Village area and other local businesses in the Baltic Triangle to discuss their future plans and developments.

“This area is truly a jewel in the crown for the digital and creative sector in Liverpool. Here we are seeing truly innovative and ground-breaking companies all making a significant contribution not only to the regional economy but to the UK as a whole.”