BDP, West 8 picked to map future of Liverpool’s riverside
The duo will aim to bring its experience of working on waterfront regeneration projects across the world to the banks of the Mersey.
Liverpool City Council has appointed BDP and West 8 to draw up a supplementary planning document that will act as a blueprint for the waterfront and guide development there over the next 25 years.
The masterplan aims to knit together the various projects coming forward along six miles of Liverpool’s waterfront from Festival Gardens in the south to Everton’s new stadium in the north, and everything in between.
“Such is our ambition for the waterfront’s future, we need truly world-class experts who lead their fields – and that is exactly what we have in appointing West 8 and BDP and the wider team,” said Nuala Gallagher, corporate director of city development at Liverpool City Council.
“I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to appoint such esteemed urban placemakers to help shape the next chapter in Liverpool’s waterfront vision and plan.”
Netherlands-based West 8, which was one of the underbidders for Manchester City Council’s Piccadilly Gardens design contest, is an internationally renowned design studio with offices in Rotterdam, the USA, and Belgium.
The firm’s previous projects include waterfront regeneration schemes in New York, and Hong Kong.
“We are very excited for this marvellous opportunity to start working on Liverpool’s phenomenal waterfront,” said Martin Biewenga, partner at West 8.
“We are inspired by its rich history and heritage, and we see many opportunities to better link Liverpool’s diverse communities to the waterfront and to have their voice heard.”
While West 8 is new to Liverpool, BDP is no stranger to the city.
The firm designed the Liverpool ONE masterplan and last year was appointed to lead the multidisciplinary team tasked with drawing up plans for Kings Dock, which falls within the scope of the waterfront brief.
“BDP has a long affinity with Liverpool as the masterplanner for Liverpool ONE and with the work we have done on Aintree Racecourse and the new Everton Stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock,” said David Rudlin, urban design director at BDP.
He added that the waterfront scheme offers an opportunity to work on “one of the world’s most iconic and recognisable riverside locations”.
Let’s trust that they provide a great vision for the future.
By Liverpolitis
Reopen the waterway at the Everton new stadium and run tourist boat trips (in Summer) from Old Dock to Liverpool Terminal 2. If it works in Salford/Manchester it will in Liverpool. Good for tourist trade.
By Anonymous
Need to ensure the riverside walkway to Everton’s new ground is open fir when the ground is completed, also ensure there are a few pubs/ restaurants adjacent to that promenade.
By George
No messing about here, these two companies can deliver something special.
I’d like to see something like a section of the Hamburg waterfront with a mix of modern and historic buildings , interspersed with pocket-parks plus bars and cafes. I feel that the area near Brunswick Station and Brunswick Dock needs more residential like the proposed Maro development (will it ever happen), plus some imaginative thinking whereby a jetty for the ferry is constructed at Herculaneum Quay so people can commute or make leisure visits to the Festival Gardens and Otterspool.
By Anonymous
25 year vision needs halving everything should be aimed at being delivered over the next 10 years. No reason why this isn’t achievable.
By Anonymous
Yes 25 years for this project, nice work if you can get it, come on it could be all done in 10-12 years. The whole of Milton Keynes was planned and built in about 20 years and that’s a whole city.
By Anonymous
More plans and more strategies that will come to absolutely nothing…….even in 25 years time! Bring back the Merseyside Development Company (MDC) who did actually get a few things done on the waterfront i.e. the Royal Albert Dock and the Wapping Warehouses to name just two of many great things that they were involved with on the waterfront. They got things done and yes in a relatively short time span. I really question as to whether any cranes will suddenly start appearing on the waterfront as a result of the new strategy. I really think not and in 25 years time yet more strategies will have been put forward!
By Brendan R
Re: My previous post. For the Merseyside Development Company read Merseyside Development Corporation as that was it’s (the development corporations) name.
By Brendan R
Setting 25 year targets just leads to complacency and takes any urgency out of a project. We’ve been waiting for the Waterfront to be developed since 1985 when an article appeared in the Guardian headed “Money Across the Mersey ” , but the scheme never happened. Now almost 40 years later we’ve had some progress but on the scale of things not enough.
Why are these things so slow and tedious, like the Baltic Station, just talk and not even a planning application in yet, I mean how long does it take?
By Anonymous