Retailers pile in on zip wire debate
Around 130 retail and hospitality businesses have signed an open letter supporting a controversial plan to install a zip wire between two Liverpool landmarks following widespread criticism, saying it could provide a shot in the arm to the struggling sectors.
“As businesses operating largely in the hospitality and retail sectors, we depend heavily on tourists and visitors coming to Liverpool,” the letter said. “Our businesses depend on a thriving city that continues to draw people to experience our wonderful attractions.”
The letter added that the Covid-19 pandemic had “exacerbated the decline of footfall” in Liverpool and other cities and towns, and the zip wire scheme could provide an “economic boost to the retail and hospitality sectors”.
- Full list of signatories below
The open letter is in direct response to a petition this week campaigning against the scheme, which was approved by Liverpool City Council in June.
Critics have said the zip wire, being brought forward by Zip World, a North Wales-based adventure business, would “mutilate” the area, known for its listed buildings and monuments of cultural and historical importance.
The zip wire would connect St Johns Beacon and Central Library, passing over St. Johns Shopping Centre, Hood Street, Roe Street, St. George’s Place, St. John’s Lane and Gardens and William Brown Street.
Zip World founder Sean Taylor claims that the attraction, due to open in May 2021, could bring up to 300,000 visitors to Liverpool every year. His company already operates three Zip Worlds in Wales.
However, the earlier petition this week, launched by resident group Engage Liverpool, hit back at the plans and urged the council to reconsider its decision. The petition was signed by high-profile figures including Screenwriter and producer Jimmy McGovern, poets Roger McGough and Levi Tafari and actor Alexei Sayle.
Richard Kemp, Liverpool’s Liberal Democrat Leader, said the attraction could put off as many people as it attracts.
In the latest petition to the council, Liverpool business leaders including Frank McKenna, chief executive of the business support group Downtown Liverpool, Bill Addy, chief executive of the Liverpool BID company, and John Hughes, chief executive of Liverpool Nightlife CIC, are listed among those who have pledged support for the project.
McKenna said in a statement to media that the hotel, bar, restaurant and shop owners that had signed the open letter were people “suffering the consequences of the recent pandemic and the general trend of declining high streets”, and needed “a bustling city centre” in order to survive.
The full list of signatories is as follows:
Frank McKenna, Downtown Liverpool in Business
Steven Hesketh, The Savvy Group
Jonny Lacey, Bongo’s Bingo
Nicola Byrne-Woods, Urban Calm, Met Quarter
Kevin Doran, Living Brick Hotels
John Sutton, Lost Soles, Albert Dock
Chris Devaney, RLB360
Christaki Georgiou, Christakis Greek Taverna
Bill Addy, Liverpool BID
Perry Ng, Golden Dragon Food Limited
Gary Wakefield, Lili Bizarre
Liam Fortune, Buffet Restaurant Limited
Madie Outaaraft, Bakchich, Bold Street
Amine El Gueddar, Kasbah, Bold Street
Paolo Cillo, Il Forno, Duke Street
Terry Stockton, Hippy Chick, Baltic Market
Sean Roche, Aintree Gin
Paul Jagota, Anar Express, Bold Street
Darren Simpson, Met Quarter Flowers
Tracey Shelvey, Kids Cavern, Met Quarter
Adam Sutton, Adam Sutton Estates
Antonietta Bagnardi, Antonietta Bakery
Maria Cillo, A Tavola
Jenny Wan, SIDA Far Eastern Supermarket
Dave Critchley, Lu Ban
Alex Bower, Hotel Anfield
Francesca Kearns, Francesca Couture
Neil Wan, Chy, Renshaw Street
John Sinclair, Peaky Blinders
Paul Lin, GoCre8
Chris Reza, La Parilla, Bold Street
Otto Mellouki, Organico
Danny Boon, Matou
Moya McQueen, Morgan Jones Hair
Ergin Mullah, Elif, Bold Street
Mo Abdullah, KO Grill
Chris Foulkes, Relish
Natalie Murray, The Bagelry
Christian Boyle, Bar 54
Sean Royden, Ink Bar
Charlotte Owens, Meatless
Hussain Etaaat, Shiraz, Williamson Square
James Sullivan, Yellow Submarine Bar
Alfie McCaughran, Black Pearl Bar
Rhys Jones, Rhys Jones & Co
Brendan Wyatt, Transalpino, Bold Street
Mark Ellison, Johnny English Fish & Chips, Bold Street
Mark O`Leary, Rebel Barbers, Bold Street
Andreas Doukanaris, Sarto Menswear, Victoria Street
Gennagh Thompson, Jimmy’s Bar, Bold Street
Andy Zhuobin, Mei Mei
Natalie Shilton, The Nakery
Christopher Hakeem, The Butterfly and The Grasshopper
John Gilchrist, The Industry Consultants
Melissa Newness, The Vines
Julie Georgiou, Key Lime Coffee, St Johns Shopping Centre
Mani Jones, Storm Menswear, St Johns Shopping Centre
Nicole Cree, The Bag Shop, St Johns Shopping Centre
Mohammed Aslim, B:U, St Johns Shopping Centre
Jean Kennedy, Bunnies Children’s Clothing, St Johns Shopping Centre
Lauren McCormick, Peacock, St Johns Shopping Centre
Yan James, Miles Accessories, St Johns Shopping Centre
Jade Lark, Koko, St Johns Shopping Centre
Louise Shelbourne, Perfect Getaways, St Johns Shopping Centre
Harleigh Corran, Hands Boutique, St Johns Shopping Centre
Was Anjum, CS2, St Johns Shopping Centre
Jeannette Zidaru, MoreGlam, St Johns Shopping Centre
Louise Ward, Catwalk, St Johns Shopping Centre
Jaz Kumar, Missie, St Johns Shopping Centre
Kaleem Hussain, Kiss, St Johns Shopping Centre
Harjinder Kaur Glamour, Forever, St Johns Shopping Centre
Dimi Boyuklieva, Berlin Doner, St Johns Shopping Centre
Nina McCormick, Chantilly Lounge
Jennifer Santos Darias, Cool Britannia
Ben Mayer, Johnny Googles, North John Street
Sandra Lawton, Yanni’s Fish & Chips
Peter Hunter, Liverpool Hospitality Exchange
Danielle Youds, Liverpool Philharmonic Theatre
Adam Wan, Yum Cha
Alan Cosgrove, Happy Days Ventures
Brian Connor, A Bar Called Teddy’s
Steve Smith, The Dispensary
Jay Baker, Down The Hatch
Conrad Sharp, Woo Tan Scran
Joe O’Garra, Ripolin
Paul Kelly, St. John’s Shoe Repairs, St Johns Shopping Centre
Alexandra Shepherd, Baby Melanie, St Johns Shopping Centre
Suneer Edakavil Kottayil, The Liverpool Gift Shop, Williamson Square
Hellen Newey, 200 degrees Coffee
Michael Cox, Hanover Hotel
Lois White, Print Works Hotel
Graeme Clark, The Scholar Bar
Michael Achilleos, Grael
Mark Hayes, The Red Berry Club
Mike Robinson, Kaspas Deserts
Joe Harper, Exec Menswear
Harris McWilliam, Ditto Coffee Liverpool
Claire Cox, Liver One Limited, St Johns Shopping Centre
Hamaad Akhtar, Storm Ladies, St Johns Shopping Centre
Aftab Razzaq, Foot patrol, St Johns Shopping Centre
Paul Jones, Keep Time Watch Repairs, St Johns Shopping Centre
Geoff Wakefield, Music Film Direct, St Johns Shopping Centre
Waqas Javed, Liverpoolhair, St Johns Shopping Centre
Claire Pye, Shush Clothing, St Johns Shopping Centre
Suwayd Khan, Hairclub, St Johns Shopping Centre
Steve Johnson, The Midland Public House
Vincent Tyrrell, Quarters
Megan Crosbie, Sweeney’s Bar
Angela Cowing, The Shakespeare
Saad Rowen, Go Falafel
Charlotte Donoghue, Say It with Diamonds, Met Quarter
Yulun Wun, Root Coffee
Aaron Shino, Dale Street Kitchen
Anthony Devine, Brownlow Inn Hotel
Anvar Yusuf, Toros Steakhouse
John Hughes, Liverpool Nightlife CIC
Melanie Ravenscroft, Baltic Beer Garden
Jamie Motlagh, Pub Invest Group
Marcus Magee, Hilton Liverpool
David Wade Smith, Webticket Master
Louise Kemp, The Core Collective
Dale Allman, Union 22, Dale Street
Paul Kierman, Nelly Foley’s
Gary Daly, Moloko
Jimmy Boland, Rubber Soul
Dean McClafferty, Irish House
Darren Smith, Ruby Blues
Sean Traynor, Celtic Corner
James Brackley, Einstein
Jo Pringle, Lago
Sam Harris, Sgt Peppers
Your Comments
Is this list of companies supposed to add weight to the argument for the zip wire? Just look at the types of businesses in favour of the zip wire….every last one of them of them involved in the visitor economy….paying minimum wage rates to kids.
It will not happen. Mark my words. We will fight this on Twitter, on skyscrapercity, and I will be standing by Nick Small.
Bongos Bingo vs Jimmy McGovern.
At least that lot actually live in Liverpool.
It’s a big no from me. I’d rather see a water slide around the liver building.
So basically a load of pub owners want this to go ahead. Well of course they do. They know just as we do that it will be inundated with stag parties, and stag parties like to ruin their livers with alcohol.
Enough of this city being sacrificed to make a handful of people a cheap profit at everyone else’s expense!
Fyi, the most respectable name in the list – that person is a mere bar manager, and almost certainly not authorised to speak on behalf of the organisation assigned. I wonder how many of these people actually knew what it was they were putting their name to, when Mr permatanned of PR company called.
@Mike. So because a person is a `mere bar manager` means he has no authority to speak? Well Michael, you are just a mere voice on the internet, but I still defend your right to speak for, or against the zip wire. You sound very jumped up m8.
Mike, if someone works or lives in Liverpool, or contributes to the local economy, then they should have a right to air their views. Even when they are not the same as yours.
What about that unsightly fun fair in front of the three graces? It looks far worse and in your face than this zip will look. There are better places for both of them.
Some would like to preserve us in aspic. We are desperate for visitors. Get the thing built.
LL
Every one of them non entities,
Of course retail and leisure businesses will grab any life raft they are offered at present. This is all a bit desperate by the operator and [council]. The idea that 100,000 people zipping and screaming overhead a memorial garden and on to a library roof in a World Heritage street, might be an appealing prospect speaks volumes about the total lack of regard for, or appreciation of, the city’s world class cultural heritage.
Sock puppet posting, using similar grammar, punctuation and lexicon and an approach we have seen somewhere, many times before… How is it that the unpopular plans of a certain genre of business, connected somehow to dealings with the council, seem to play out in the public domain in such strikingly similar ways?… Oh how we wonder.
Hopefully the stop the zip campaign will be wise enough to decline any offer of pro bono representation. Another campaign that was about to file for a JR had such an offer. Only for it to be scuppered by a last minute, inconvenient (but convenient for some) change of heart on the part of the “donor”.
I’m pretty disgusted at some of the comments on here. I wasn’t a massive fan of it but I hope it goes through now.
@George. People like you, me and Mike are the real non entities lad. That`s why we are making comments on the internet because we are not heard.
Sock is supposedly disgusted by comments expressing multiple layers of extreme concern and legitimate observation, and not with the dreadful way in which these plans involving a public building were drawn up behind closed doors and then passed based on the information provided?
It’s understandable that businesses in the food and retail sector feel encouraged that this will bring in more visitors, particularly as their businesses have been so affected by the pandemic, and so feel that they have to support the plan and put their name to this. The issue that those of us who are against it have is the location and the effect it will have on listed buildings and this cultural, historic part of the city. Surely another location can be found that won’t ruin the gardens and the library?
Some people just can’t see their own hypocrisy, sometimes.
I get the feeling Mike is very experienced at internet spats,
Some people have nothing better to do than argue over things they haven’t got a say in. Lol.
How about a permanent zip wire across the ship canal on Salford quays, it could go from the top of one of these expansive high rise tower blocks, apartments. It would do well and bring more tourism to Salford quays.
When the cruise liners return I don’t see many of the passengers wanting a spin on this. Just another gimmick for stag n hens. This is not Blackpool. Yet.
More evidence on here of the growing trend to be offensive towards anyone with whose view you do not personally agree. Whatever the argument we should all retain the rite to have our say and respect different points of view. I personally believe – as someone with historic family roots in Liverpool and a love of the City – that any initiative to boost visitor numbers to the City is to be welcomed. Due to fear of heights I would not be able to enjoy it but think it is a great idea and a much needed added attraction for this great City.
Awful comments about people working in the hospitality and retail sectors from people who should know better. We should be supporting anything that brings vibrancy and life to the city centre.
Mike – just keep it off here mate. Stick to insulting people on ssc and twitter, as normal. Its not too difficult to work out who you are fella.
Not impressed with those on this list; Dont see any William Brown Street names. I am not against a zip wire, but you have to be thick to place it in this location. There are dozens of other locations it could go to.
I’m not sure the zip wire will bring very many visitors to the city. In the scheme of things it’s not a very big run. If you really want a big zip experience, you’ll go to the wires in North Wales. In reality, the Liverpool zip will just compete with other stuff for the stag-n-hen trade, whilst deterring other kinds of visitor. Will it make the city uglier? Probably, but it won’t spoil it anything like as much as the current epidemic of graffiti does.
Zipped de do dah, they do do that tho do don’t they, zipped de do dah!
Totally Wired