THE body charged with developing Liverpool as a shopping destination has commissioned research on how Liverpool One has affected the rest of the city centre.

Ged Gibbons, chief executive of Liverpool City Central’s Business Improvement District, has commissioned property consultancy Drivers Jonas Deloitte to discover whether the £1bn Grosvenor development has had a negative effect on other parts of the city.

Mr Gibbons discussed the survey in an interview for the next edition of the LDP Business magazine, which is free inside the Daily Post tomorrow.

He believes Liverpool One has benefited the city, but says the survey may show that other areas of the centre need to reinvent themselves to attract more shoppers.

He said: “There was a worry there would be a huge exodus of businesses from Bold Street to Liverpool One, but I think we’ve weathered that storm.”

And he added: “I think we’d be in trouble if Central Station and the Queen Square bus station were in Liverpool One.

“The footfall in Church Street has never been better. The Echo Arena & BT Convention Centre is bringing in volumes of people who have never been here before, and this will help us through next year.