Liverpool Council has appointed a new permanent director of development as the authority continues its recovery after a difficult few years.
The newly-named position will replace the role of director of regeneration. That permanent role was last held by Nick Kavanagh who was dismissed in March 2021 after a disciplinary hearing. This came after his arrest in December 2019 as part of a Merseyside Police corruption investigation. He has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.
Since the dismissal of Mr Kavanagh - who lost a subsequent unfair dismissal case against the council - the local authority has had a number of interim figures in place.
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But in a significant move, the council has now named a permanent appointment as its new director of city development in Nuala Gallagher. Ms Gallagher, the current Director of Planning, Environment & Placemaking at Limerick City and County Council, will take up the reins from interim Director Mark Bourgeois, at the end of March.
The appointment is part of a reorganisation of the council’s senior team, with the authority also in the midst of recruiting a new permanent chief executive, as well as seeking to appoint new corporate directors for neighbourhoods and housing, finance and resources and children and young people.
The role will focus on driving Liverpool’s economic growth and delivering sustainable development across the city centre and communities, including overseeing major schemes such as Anfield Square, Kings Dock, Paddington Village, Festival Gardens and the Littlewoods site.
Ms Gallagher will lead a team of 300 staff and will be responsible for a budget of £86m. She will also be responsible for overseeing planning, property and asset management, an investment strategy, as well as skills, adult learning and environmental and sustainability policies.
The new director has amassed more than two decades of experience in development and placemaking internationally and is also currently a board member of Limerick Twenty Thirty, a property development company. Her previous roles include head of regeneration for the London borough of Newham, director for economy of place at Bristol City Council and director of city centre development at Belfast City Council.
She has also spent time working in New York, leading on sustainable urban development and teaching at Columbia University. She is a registered architect and a graduate of Columbia University with a Masters in Urban Design.
Ms Gallagher will work closely with the Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson, interim Chief Executive Theresa Grant and the Government Commissioners in the new role.
Theresa Grant, Interim Chief Executive of Liverpool City Council, said: “Nuala is a highly talented and inspiring leader, and will be a brilliant addition to the Council’s senior management team at this critical juncture in our improvement journey.
“I have no doubt she will deliver real transformation in our approach to developing the city and driving economic growth and skills, building on the work interim director Mark Bourgeois has started.”
Nuala Gallagher said: “I’m delighted to be joining Liverpool City Council, this job is a huge opportunity to help shape the future of a city which has an incredible amount of untapped potential.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the talented team who are working hard to deliver long-term improvements for the city’s residents. My focus will be on ensuring Liverpool is a strong investable proposition, and driving forward its development in a way that is sustainable and benefits all our communities.”
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