Liverpool City Region Backs Historic North Docks Development Corporation to Deliver 17,000 Homes as £86 Million Public Bus Franchising Takes Effect

A Landmark Mayoral Vision for 174 Hectares of Waterfront Regeneration

LIVERPOOL, Merseyside — In a unanimous vote marking one of the most ambitious brownfield regeneration strategies across Northern England, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has formally approved the next statutory phase to establish a dedicated North Docks Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC). Spanning 174 hectares of historic docklands stretching from the edge of Liverpool city centre past Bramley-Moore Dock to Everton Football Club's newly opened Hill Dickinson Stadium, the designated zone covers an urban footprint larger than London’s Canary Wharf.

Following a comprehensive six-week statutory public consultation that garnered an overwhelming 85.2% public approval rate, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram is submitting the formal designation request to the UK Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Once enacted, the MDC will unlock statutory planning powers, streamline land assembly, and attract billions in private investment to build up to 17,000 high-quality sustainable homes, create thousands of green maritime and digital tech jobs, and regenerate neglected heritage dock basins along the River Mersey.

£86.3 Million Public Bus Franchising Begins Historic Phased Rollout

The landmark regeneration milestone coincides directly with the launch of the Liverpool City Region's £86.3 million public bus franchising transformation, bringing the region's surface bus transit network back under direct democratic municipal control for the first time in nearly forty years. Commencing on high-frequency routes across St Helens, the public operator model allows the Combined Authority to directly dictate timetables, set unified fares, and ensure strict reliability metrics.

The network expansion will advance into the Wirral in autumn 2026 before fully covering Liverpool, Sefton, Halton, and Knowsley by late 2027. Backed by long-term government infrastructure funding, the initiative introduces state-of-the-art zero-emission electric buses, dedicated express connections to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and integrated multi-modal tap-and-go ticketing across buses, trains, and ferries.

Revitalizing Maritime Heritage and River Mersey Tourism

Strengthening the region’s maritime identity, the Combined Authority also celebrated the entry into service of the brand-new Mersey Ferry, the Royal Daffodil. Engineered with modern low-emission propulsion and panoramic passenger decks, the new flagship ferry safeguards iconic river crossings between Liverpool’s Pier Head, Seacombe, and Woodside, supporting a regional visitor economy that generates billions of pounds annually.

Civic planners note that connecting the regenerated North Docks via dedicated cycle superhighways and rapid bus transit will knit previously isolated post-industrial waterfront communities back into the cultural heartbeat of the city.

Building an Equitable, Connected Northern Economic Engine

Mayor Steve Rotheram underscored that the combination of public transport municipalization and visionary urban development proves that Northern cities hold the power to drive nationwide economic resurgence. By eliminating private transport monopolies and regenerating post-industrial brownfield corridors into thriving, walkable mixed-use districts, Liverpool is establishing a progressive blueprint for regional equity, social housing accessibility, and clean commercial growth.