THING OF THE WEEK
ZIP WHINES…It’s the story on everyone’s lips at the moment – the zip wire could, depending on who you ask, single-handedly drag Liverpool’s economy out of the post-Covid mire or leave an indelible bruise on the city’s proud history. Is there room for Zip World’s attraction, and listed buildings and historical monuments? Arguably. Should they co-exist within metres from one another? Probably not.
Alexei Sayle is among the high-profile names lobbying for the plans to be scrapped, but few are putting forward suggestions as to an alternative location other than “straight in the sea”. One person who has contributed meaningfully to the discussion is the project manager who led the £41m rebuild of the Central Library in 2013, where the zip wire ride would end. Steven Gerard (not that one) said he “liked the idea of a zip wire in Liverpool” but disagreed strongly with the proposed location. His suggestion? From the balcony of the Cunard Building down into the cruise liner terminal. Any more for any more?
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT…The snap decision to impose a two-week quarantine period for anyone returning from Spain has left Manchester developer Adam Higgins facing a period of isolation upon his return from sunny Mallorca. “It could be worse,” Higgins, co-founder of Capital & Centric, told THING, sending an accompanying picture of the glistening Med and a lush green mountainside beneath pure blue skies.
It turns out he was right. After popping his phone back in his pocket, he cycled down to the ocean for a dip where he was promptly stung by a jellyfish. At least he’ll have plenty of time to heal before heading back to the office.
WINGING IT...It is not just humans who are benefiting from improved infrastructure in the wake of the pandemic. Peel L&P has unveiled some nifty-looking nesting rafts for the sea birds that frequent Morpeth Dock, part of the developer’s Wirral Waters project. The six 200 sq ft rafts will float on the water, providing a sanctuary for terns and cormorants. They are strategically located between a tern nesting site at Buchannan’s Jetty and Vittoria Dock, where cormorants are known to roost.
GLAMPING WOE…A couple’s plans to diversify its farming business by creating 10 glamping pods out of shipping containers are due to be shot down by Cheshire West & Chester Council. The authority said the plans would “result in a visually obtrusive and alien form of development”. Robert and Janet Bostock, who own the farm, said their business was secure for now but worries over society’s growing distaste for eating meat and drinking milk had prompted them to explore alternative sources of income. With glamping seemingly off the table, it will be interesting to see what the couple come up with next to save themselves from the gathering waves of veganism that threaten to harm their business.
The five-storey Dale Street building used to be a recording studio
BIDDING WARS…Packed property auctions are a thing of the past. In case you hadn’t heard, rooms full of people simply don’t fly these days (unless its a pub, apparently) and, like many other facets of society, auctions have been forced to move online. It’s the bloke with the gavel I feel sorry for – how many laptops must he have gone through while conducting auctions via zoom; getting overexcited and smashing his keyboard to pieces when the bidding stops?
Sutton Kersh, a Liverpool-based estate agent, has reported some impressive results from its recent online auctions. At its latest virtual event, £9m of property was sold, the largest total at a North West property auction this year. Among its lockdown sales was the Princes Building on Dale Street in Liverpool, which sold for just shy of £1m. The building contains 35 apartments and ground floor retail but was previously used as a rehearsal studio for bands including the Zutons.
SWITCH UP…Where there is a will, there is a loophole, and Preston nightclub Switch, on Market Street, may have found it. Under social distancing rules, nightclubs must remain closed to keep the nation safe from the threat of Covid-19 – and any Sunday morning regret. However, Switch, which runs club nights Quids Fridays and Switch Live Saturdays, will open its doors as a “multi-use venue” rather than a nightclub, sidestepping Government guidance. A spokesperson from the club said the venue was able to open from Saturday to provide a live music offering to punters between the hours of 10pm and 3am, but “dancing will be discouraged”.
