Liverpool City Council has given planning permission for the iconic Littlewoods building, once home to the famous football pools, to be converted to a hotel, offices and shops as part of a £16 million plan by developers Capital & Centric.
The Art Deco palace which dominates the eastern approach to the city on Edge Lane was built in 1938 and its tall central clock tower and streamlined concrete profile are visible far across Liverpool. The building housed the giant printing presses that sent millions of pools coupons across the country every week, to players dreaming of winning a golden ticket.
The National Lottery superseded the football pools, and the building has lain derelict for over a decade. English Heritage refused an application to list the structure and two redevelopment schemes have fallen victim to the recession. Earlier this year, local press reports warned that demolition was becoming increasingly likely as the structure fell into decline.
SAVE responded by drawing national media and ministerial attention to the building's importance, owned by the Homes and Communities Agency. SAVE President Marcus Binney accused National Regeneration Agencies of indifference to the building’s demonstrable architectural and historic significance.
The building was seen by several million viewers when SAVE Deputy Director Rhiannon Wicks appeared on the Alan Titchmarsh show in September with Dan Snow, to highlight its plight.
This success story shows how neglected and vacant historic buildings can be revived for new uses with some imagination.
Click on the hyperlinks to read about the story in the Liverpool Echo and the SAVE press releases ofy and December 2012.
