Mayor to seek Mayoral Development Corporation for Liverpool North Docks regeneration

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has given the green light to create a Mayoral Development Corporation for the North Docks, moving the regeneration plan into its next statutory phase. Mayor Steve Rotheram will now ask the Secretary of State to formally establish the Liverpool North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation. The body will bring together powers, partnerships and investment to accelerate development across one of the city’s largest brownfield sites.

The North Docks area, stretching from the waterfront to Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, currently hosts billions of pounds of planned and ongoing investment but has been hampered by fragmented land ownership, infrastructure constraints and complex delivery arrangements. By consolidating authority in a single corporation, the council hopes to unblock stalled sites, coordinate infrastructure works and create the conditions for new homes, jobs and businesses to flourish.

Council Leader Liam Robinson welcomed the decision, describing it as a pivotal moment for Liverpool’s waterfront. He said the MDC will help maximise the economic, social and environmental potential of the site, delivering new homes, jobs and improved connectivity while extending the city centre sustainably. The mayor echoed these sentiments, stressing community expectations for affordable housing, proper transport, heritage protection and transparent decision-making.

The plan foresees up to 17,000 new homes and millions of square feet of commercial and employment space, alongside new public realm, green spaces and major infrastructure upgrades. Existing projects that would be pulled together under the MDC include the Central Docks phase of Liverpool Waters – featuring a new urban park funded with £55 million from government and £26 million from Peel Waters – the ongoing regeneration of the historic Stanley Dock complex, and Everton FC’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium and its surrounding redevelopment.

Public backing and statutory process

The decision follows a six-week statutory public consultation that ran from 2 July to 14 August 2026 and attracted 537 responses. A strong 85.2 % of participants supported the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation, while 79.3 % wanted it to act as the Local Planning Authority for major proposals and 72.7 % approved the proposed boundary. Respondents also highlighted priorities such as governance and accountability, transport capacity, heritage protection, affordable housing and continued community involvement.

With the consultation complete, the mayor will now submit a formal request to the Secretary of State. If approved, the Liverpool North Docks MDC will be established as a dedicated regeneration body, after further work on a detailed business case, governance arrangements and statutory powers. Operational functions will be transferred only after those steps are finalised.

Wider regional partnership

At the same time, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Homes England are finalising an enhanced delivery partnership that will create a Joint Delivery Unit. The unit will bring together staff from both organisations to accelerate major regeneration, housing and infrastructure projects across the region, marking one of the first such arrangements in England. The partnership is expected to strengthen the region’s capacity to align investment, streamline delivery and support large-scale developments such as those planned for the North Docks.

The council and mayor stress that the MDC will work closely with local communities, the Combined Authority, private sector investors and other public bodies to ensure the regeneration delivers affordable homes, good jobs and public spaces that reflect Liverpool’s heritage. The next steps involve completing the statutory process, securing Secretary of State approval and moving on to detailed planning and implementation.