BID calls for body to guide Liverpool waterfront’s future
An advisory group should be established to help define future development in the area, according to a positioning paper issued by Liverpool BID Company.
The organisation said that if an overall framework and guiding principles can be defined, such a group would provide a voice for local businesses, stakeholders, experts, the voluntary sector and community representatives to play a part.
The Liverpool Waterfront Positioning Paper makes its main conclusion the desire for an advisory body to be established, stating: “It would act as a driving force behind the delivery of the vision outlined within this paper and could draft an action plan to deliver it.”
Issued today, the positioning paper can be viewed online.
Liverpool’s waterfront is by any standards seeing major change at present, with Everton’s Bramley-Moore Dock stadium the banner project, but change also taking place at the Festival Gardens site and around the Royal Albert Dock, among other locations along the 19km stretch as defined in the report.
This month, Liverpool Waters was set out in a draft policy document as one of five areas to be considered tall buildings-friendly as the city, which has now surrendered its UNESCO World Heritage site status, looks to curate its skyline.
The paper sets out key development areas, marking as priorities areas of potential change such as the Northern Graving Docks, Central Park, the Cruise Terminal and Festival Gardens.
The vision is based on several months of interviews with those who manage key sites along the waterfront, those who live and work there, invest and want to develop, said Liverpool BID Company.
In what could be described as the softer, or social side of regeneration, guiding principles have been set out as to what the waterfront should be for Liverpool.
Six guiding principles:
- Heritage and place: the need to preserve and reflect the heritage of Liverpool’s world class waterfront, ensuring that future development integrates with the existing fabric while celebrating Liverpool’s sense of place.
- Year-round exploration: awareness of the need for the waterfront to provide for people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the year with its attractions and amenities.
- Engaging and playful: street performances, waterfront festivals, urban interventions, the waterfront “should encourage spontaneity and invite people to connect in a joyous and playful manner”.
- Soul and rhythm: music events to paly a key part, with outdoor concerts, live performances and buskers to be encouraged.
- Reflection and celebration: tranquil areas along the waterfront to provide space for contemplation, introspection and connection with the water; while also looking to promote different areas as places for communal celebration.
- Evolution and inspiration: the waterfront’s transformation over the years to continue to inspire innovation and progress..
Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company, said: “Given its global iconic significance, the Liverpool waterfront needs to be governed and managed in a more coherent way to ensure the quality of the development is high enough in future.
“A more strategic, long term view needs to be taken of the whole area which stretches several miles from the huge opportunity of the original International Garden Festival site in the south, through the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool area in the centre to the north docks and Liverpool Waters up to the development of Everton football stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.”
The current City Council has no coherent ability to plan anything. Hopefully BID will put the city’s future prosperity and growth before political dogma
However, it needs to beware of simply being another talking shop, and becoming yet another barrier to progress
By Concerned
What a load of confusion, quiet contemplation versus spontaneity, omg who thinks this up, I feel a certain councillor has his influence in this. All the talk of heritage and place making, what is place making? It just feels like we have UNESCO back and we can’t move forward. They talk of several miles of waterfront and the festival garden site, but nothing has happened on it yet, not even a planning application. This all seems like more ways to stop high-rise buildings, meanwhile BID should try harder to spruce up the city centre, like getting rid of the tents from Church St and elsewhere, also I walked down Hardman Street today and saw large areas of tarmac where there used to be nice paving, so what are BID going to do to stop delivery trucks parking up on the sidewalk and offloading beer kegs and breaking expensive and sometimes historic paving.
By Anonymous
Yes we need joined up thinking – I was speaking to some French visitors who could not believe that the city had not made more of the waterfront – they had sadly been to the Britannia for tea thinking that it was going to be more than it was. Sums it up really.
By Lizzy Baggot
I’ve got a great idea, let’s have another consultation. Meanwhile down the M62 a thing called development happened.
By Roy
Another Quango with another load of fee taking thinkers who will add nothing to the development and use of the waterfront. Isnt it the Council’s job to plan for such use, make the best of the treasures the city has to offer? Or is that beyond them?
By Anonymous
A city overly concerned with how it looks on post cards mustn’t have much else going for it. Meanwhile in the real world other cities are expanding and densifying rather than being treated like a Turner landscape.
By Anonymous
The waterfront’s future is tall towers. At least 50 storeys needed here
By Giant Skyscraper Fan
Some Liverpool councillors love telling us about the city’s concerns for its heritage and it’s architectural standards, yet the post-war performance of the council shows us the opposite. Who allowed the destruction of the Sailors Home , the salvagable Customs House, David Lewis hospital, thousands of houses comparable to those that remain in the Georgian Quarter, etc. Yes we love the Liver Building and its neighbours but other cities have similar classics, all we need is a 100 metre buffer area around the central waterfront, and then anywhere outside that should be allowed to build tall. For me the appalling low-rise estate on Park Lane does more damage to the inner city than any tall building will ever do.
By Anonymous
How about cleaning up the litter and getting rid of all the talentless juvenile graffiti?
By Matthew Jones