Merseyside is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England, highly urbanised, with a population of 1,475,541 in 2024 across just 249 square miles. Liverpool sits at its centre on the east bank of the Mersey Estuary, Birkenhead faces it on the west bank, St Helens lies to the east and Southport to the north. The county was created in 1974 from parts of Lancashire and Cheshire, and grew on the back of the port at Liverpool and shipbuilding at Birkenhead.
A business mortgage is a long-term loan secured on the premises a trading company occupies. We arrange that finance for Merseyside businesses as a broker, never as a lender: we build the case, approach the lenders whose criteria fit and stay with it to completion. It is commercial finance for your premises, not a residential mortgage. Merseyside is part of our North West England coverage.
Owner-occupier mortgages across the Liverpool City Region
For local government the county is made up of five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral and Liverpool. Their councils work with Halton, in Cheshire, through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Planning applications go to the borough council for the site.
Because the county is so built up, owner-occupiers here are usually buying within an established town rather than on a greenfield edge: a shop or salon on a high street, a workshop on an older industrial street, a unit near a motorway junction or an office in a city or town centre. Green belt surrounds the Liverpool urban area and the Wirral and extends towards Southport, which limits new edge-of-town sites. For a standard owner-occupied property, indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, typically at 70 to 75% loan to value, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Our business mortgages page explains the assessment.
Merseyside's care homes, couriers and high-street trades
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Covers 5 council areas: Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton, Wirral.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Merseyside share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 6,185 | 12.7% | 13.8% |
| Construction and building trades | 6,025 | 12.4% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 5,680 | 11.7% | 9.4% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 4,005 | 8.2% | 6.2% |
| Business support services | 3,990 | 8.2% | 8.1% |
| Health and social care | 3,765 | 7.8% | 5.7% |
| Personal and other services | 2,525 | 5.2% | 4.1% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 2,470 | 5.1% | 4.2% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 2,045 | 4.2% | 4.3% |
- 2.2xgambling290 businesses
- 1.7xresidential care925 businesses
- 1.6xpostal and courier services885 businesses
- 1.4xpersonal services1,995 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
These figures cover Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral: 48,575 business units. Residential care homes run at 1.74 times the UK share, 925 businesses. Restaurants, cafes and pubs make up 8.2% of firms against 6.2% nationally, and personal services such as salons 5.2%. Couriers appear at 1.55 times.
Care homes are trading businesses, so lenders look at occupancy, fees and inspection ratings. Salons and cafes buying shops are assessed on takings and the owner's track record.
Commercial property loans on both banks of the Mersey Estuary
The estuary splits the county in two: the Wirral Peninsula to the west and everything else to the east. The two halves are linked by the Queensway Tunnel to Birkenhead and the Kingsway Tunnel to Wallasey, by the Wirral line of Merseyrail and by the Mersey Ferry. Six motorways serve the county: the M58 to the north, the M56 to the south, the M6 and M62 to the east and the M53 on the Wirral, with the M57 acting as an outer ring road for Liverpool.
That network shapes where trading companies buy. Distributors and trade businesses cluster near the M57, M58 and M62, while firms serving both sides of the river weigh tunnel access. Liverpool Lime Street, used by 10.46 million passengers in 2021 to 2022, keeps the city centre attractive for offices and professional practices that recruit across the region.
Industrial stock up 10% across the five Merseyside boroughs
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Totals for Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton, Wirral. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse10,560properties on the rating listUp 10% since 2016Average rateable value £31,300factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices8,060properties on the rating listUp 15.6% since 2016Average rateable value £18,200offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail14,450properties on the rating listDown 3.1% since 2016Average rateable value £21,200shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial11,090properties on the rating listUp 7.1% since 2016Average rateable value £36,500pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Merseyside's estates, from Sandon to King Edward
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Merseyside, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- King Edward Industrial EstateLiverpool L3 7HJ
- Sandon Industrial EstateLiverpool L5 9YN
- The Sandon Industrial EstateLiverpool L5 9YN
- Everton Park Business CentreLiverpool L5 3LF
- Erskine Street Industrial EstateLiverpool L6 1NA
- Falcongate Industrial EstateWallasey CH44 4HD
- Marvin Industrial EstateKensington, Gloucester Place, Liverpool L6 1DZ
- West Float Industrial EstateWallasey, Birkenhead CH41 1JJ
- Cleveland Business ParkBirkenhead CH41 4JW
- Millers Bridge Industrial EstateBootle L20 1EE
- Priory Point Industrial EstateBirkenhead CH41 5JH
- Boaler Street Industrial EstateLiverpool L6 9JQ
Across Merseyside, industrial units rose from 9,600 to 10,560, up 10%, with an average rateable value of £31,300. Offices grew 15.6%. Shops fell 3.1% to 14,450. Total stock grew 5.6%. For businesses already owning their premises, a remortgage typically prices at 6.0 to 8.0% where trading is solid and local evidence supports the valuation.
Hospitality and leisure property finance in the metropolitan county
Merseyside's culture is a large part of its economy. It gave the world Merseybeat and the Beatles, National Museums Liverpool runs nine museums and galleries, the Royal Liverpool and Royal Birkdale golf clubs have hosted The Open Championship 22 times between them, and the Grand National is the most valuable jump race in Europe. Everton and Liverpool draw crowds every week of the season.
Hotels, bars, restaurants and venues that serve those visitors are trading businesses in a lender's eyes, so the profit record carries as much weight as the building. Indicative pricing for this kind of property is 7.0 to 9.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Owners who already hold their premises and want to release capital or move off an expiring fixed rate can read about remortgaging business premises.
Buying your business premises on Merseyside: tax and security
Merseyside is in England, so a purchase pays Stamp Duty Land Tax at the non-residential rates: 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (HMRC, rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). The lender takes a legal charge registered at HM Land Registry.
Illustrative example. A restaurant group buys a freehold unit for £500,000. If the lender advances 70%, as is common for hospitality, the loan is £350,000 and the deposit £150,000, with £14,500 of SDLT on top. Our commercial stamp duty guide shows the full working.
Towns and boroughs we cover across Merseyside
Liverpool
The county's largest settlement sits at its centre on the east bank of the estuary, with Lime Street as its main railway station and Liverpool One bus station as the terminus for national coaches. Owner-occupier demand ranges from city-centre offices and restaurants to workshops and warehouses in the wider borough.
Birkenhead
Facing Liverpool across the Mersey on the Wirral Peninsula, Birkenhead grew as a shipbuilding town and is linked to the city by the Queensway Tunnel, Merseyrail and the Mersey Ferry. Its premises mix engineering and marine businesses with a town-centre shopping and office market.
Wallasey
At the north-east tip of the Wirral, Wallasey connects to Liverpool through the Kingsway Tunnel. It is part of the Wirral borough and has the local shops, services and small industrial premises of an established town, with the M53 running down the peninsula.
St Helens
In the east of the county, St Helens sits between the M58, M62, M57 and M6, giving manufacturers and distributors quick routes to Liverpool, Manchester and the north. It is the administrative centre of its own metropolitan borough, with a strong industrial heritage.
Southport
In the north of the county and the borough of Sefton, Southport is a seaside town close to Royal Birkdale. Hotels, restaurants, shops and golf-related businesses make up much of the demand, and green belt pockets surround it as part of the North West Green Belt.
Knowsley
Knowsley is one of the five metropolitan boroughs, on the eastern side of Liverpool and served by the M57 outer ring road and the M62. Its industrial and trade premises suit manufacturers and logistics firms that want motorway access without a city-centre address.
