The Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a series of ‘levelling up’ funds for projects in northern England in his recent budget, The Guardian reports. Among the schemes is a new Beatles-themed tourist attraction on Liverpool’s waterfront, which will receive a boost of £2m.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the funding was secured by the new culture secretary Nadine Dorries, who was born in the city. The unexpected announcement was part of a wider series of investments which are designed to help the cultural and heritage sector recover from the effects of the pandemic.
Some people have questioned whether a new Beatles attraction is really what the city needs, especially when the docks area already boasts the popular Beatles Story exhibition. However, Claire McColgan, the director of culture for Liverpool city council, said the new venue would be a wider cultural space, and not exclusively about the Fab Four.
She said: “It will be huge and it will be much more than the Beatles.” The Fab Four will be the hook but “what we are really excited about is how this gets kids from the some of the poorest areas of Liverpool to create and explore their passion for music”.
Describing the project as a hub for celebrating music, McColgan said there may be a new secondary school incorporated in the development. Other suggested uses include a rehearsal space for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. The council is still considering where the best location would be on the waterfront.
The project has the working title of The Pool, and is still very much in the early planning stages. However, it is hoped that the £2m funding boost will allow the organisers to prepare a convincing pitch and set a realistic budget and timetable for completion, currently estimated at between 5 and 10 years.
If you need Liverpool office space, talk to us today.