Liverpool opens waterfront consultation

BDP and West 8 have drawn up a draft vision and supplementary planning document to guide riverside development, on which the public are asked to offer feedback.

Urban design and landscape specialist West 8 and multidisciplinary firm BDP were appointed last year to work on the SPD as Liverpool City Council looked to set “a benchmark for waterfront regeneration in Europe”.

The vision sets out proposals for the future of Liverpool’s cherished waterfront over the next 20 to 30 years, with a stated goal of creating a more inclusive, accessible and thriving waterfront. Three core principles are set out:

• Connected – Reconnecting neighbourhoods to the Mersey, ensuring everyone can access and enjoy the waterfront.
• Free and Green – Prioritising free-to-access public space and green infrastructure to support climate resilience.
• Growth – Supporting high-quality, heritage-sensitive development that creates places to live, work and play and benefits the whole city.

This could draw something of a line in the sand for Liverpool in terms of setting its own course: for years, Liverpool’s civic leaders and key developers seemed in a constant battle to appease Unesco, lest the city lose its world heritage status: but with taller buildings and large-scale projects such as the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium leading to that status being removed in 2021, that is no longer an issue.

LCC said that a big goal is to improve connectivity and linkages, both north/ south and west/east, and to create new public realm with an emphasis on quality of place. The vision will also address conservation and enhancement of the natural and historic environment, as well as climate change and the Council’s ambition to deliver net zero by 2030.

The draft SPD will translate that into practical planning guidance, design principles and development parameters covering such matters as movement, active travel, green and grey infrastructure, identity and character of different areas along the waterfront.

Once adopted, the SPD will be a material planning consideration.

Stakeholders who have fed into the process include Liverpool BID Company, Grosvenor, Tate Liverpool, Peel, National Museum Liverpool, the Canal & River Trust, General Projects, and Liverpool Yacht Club.

A public engagement event will be held on Monday 7 July at Liverpool Town Hall. Throughout the consultation, which runs until 8 August, all documents will be available to view at the Cunard Building and at Liverpool Central Library.

• View the online consultation here.

Once consultation ends the final SPD will will be prepared and presented for LCC cabinet sign-off in autumn.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said it is the council’s duty to ensure the waterfront’s future development befits its status:

“Our vision for the riverfront is to honour its heritage whilst embracing innovation. This plan should be both a celebration of our rich maritime history and a blueprint for embracing its potential, helping to grow communities and create new jobs.

“We’ve already had some great conversations with a number of stakeholders and now we need to hear the views of our residents. Their feedback will help guide this exciting new chapter in our waterfront story and help ensure everyone continues to enjoy and benefit from this amazing asset for generations to come.”

Cllr Nick Small, LCC cabinet member for development and growth, said: “Liverpool’s waterfront is instantly recognisable and a principal reason we’re one of the UK’s most visited cities and one of the most filmed in Europe.

“It has been transformed over recent decades and is once again a huge part of the city’s economic engine. Now with this new plan we all have a chance to play our part in shaping its future.

“The ambition, scale and scope of what is being planned from Festival Gardens to beyond Everton’s new stadium has the potential to transform all the communities connected to the Mersey. It’s not often we have the chance to make history but helping to shape this waterfront plan is that moment, and I hope people embrace this consultation to make this and plan the best it can possibly be.”