DERELICT Stanley Dock is to be renovated as part of a £130m investment in north Liverpool that it is hoped will create almost 1,800 jobs.

The North Liverpool City Fringe Employment and Investment programme has won £25m from the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF), it was announced yesterday.

It will unlock £130m of investment which includes renovating Stanley Dock, in a scheme with apartments, bars, shops, and a hotel – similar to the project that saw the revival of Albert Dock more than 20 years ago.

The funding will also help the Eldonian Group build a combined heat and power plant – providing electricity and hot water to the local area.

Other RGF winners in Merseyside include Redx Pharma which won £5.9m to support a project which will create up to 250 bioscience jobs in the city. Getrag Ford, which makes transmissions for the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Halewood, was awarded £3.36m to expand production and create 120 jobs.

Dairy Crest in Knowsley, were also promised money to redevelop and modernise its manufacturing site. Liverpool University, Sefton Council, Pilkington’s in St Helens, and Cheshire builders Pochin’s were also successful. But details of those schemes have not yet been released.

All schemes are still subject to due diligence and final acceptance, as part of the second round bids for the £1.4bn RGF.

The City Fringe Programme for north Liverpool is intended to provide an investment strategy for the area between Liverpool city centre and the Liverpool Waters Enterprise Zone to ensure future employment growth while the regeneration of this area proceeds.

It includes plans to revamp the junction of Leeds Street and Great Howard Street to breakdown the physical barrier between the city centre and the more industrial area to the north.