Avison Young has been selected by Liverpool City Council as its Strategic Property Partner, to support the authority to drive forward the development of a city-wide property portfolio.

Avison Young has had a strong presence in the Liverpool City Region for many years, advising on significant developments and regeneration projects, including The Strand in Bootle, Liverpool and Wirral Waters and the landmark Lewis’s Building and Littlewoods Project. This appointment highlights our strengths as a business, including our considerable strategic and market-led expertise and the power of our combined local knowledge and global vision.

Through this partnership, we will be supporting Liverpool City Council to deliver ambitious plans for further investment in, and improvements to, its buildings and spaces, creating a fit-for-purpose and modernised property portfolio that creates real value for people and communities across the city and wider region.

The news follows the recent announcement that Liverpool City Council’s commissioner-led intervention will end in June 2024, with Government Commissioners confirming to the Secretary of State that the Council is a “well-governed, improving organisation, with ambitious leaders committed to long-term change.”

Avison Young’s appointment as Strategic Property Partner will see us providing strategic property services to Liverpool City Council for a period of three years. As a trusted advisor firmly embedded in Liverpool’s culture and economy, we will support accelerating the growth of the city, working with the Council to advocate for its long-term success.

The remit of our work will include asset management, advisory on disposals, and delivering resources and technical expertise, including providing the Council with four senior chartered surveyors to support with valuation and property management activities. We will also support the development of the Council’s workplace strategy and corporate landlord model.

Stephen Cowperthwaite, Regional Managing Director for Liverpool and Managing Director of UK Regions at Avison Young UK, said:

“This nationally significant appointment reflects the quality and depth of Avison Young’s knowledge across our regional and national teams. This, coupled with the ambition of the leadership and Council teams, will create a step change in realising the opportunities for long-term sustainable and inclusive growth that benefits communities and attracts investment.

“Our team are experts in their fields, with experience working on many of the city’s flagship regeneration projects. We know the importance of local authorities delivering for their communities, and we’re well placed to support the strategic objectives of the Council going forward, bringing the city’s ambitions into the future.”

Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Growth and Economy at Liverpool City Council, added:

“The appointment of a team with exceptional knowledge of Liverpool, its people, its communities and its strengths, paired with national expertise and an international outlook, will help Liverpool City Council to develop and deliver plans that unlock an ambitious and exciting future for the city at this critical juncture.

“This partnership will better enable us to deliver for communities, strengthen our proposition as a city, and collaborate with partners to drive forward improvements to enable growth. We look forward to working in partnership with Avison Young, engaging collaboratively in stakeholder engagement to shape planning and policy that drives forward positive change at pace.”

A contractual period will commence shortly. We are looking forward to moving these crucial activities forward for the city – realising the ambitions of the Council, accelerating property service improvements, and helping to drive the pace of regeneration.