Revamp of Liverpool’s Williamson Square on the cards
The square has the potential to become a cultural gateway to the city due to its high footfall and prime location, according to Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
Rotheram was speaking at a presentation held at the grade-two listed Playhouse Theatre on the outcomes of the Williamson Square Activation Study.
Recommendations from the study centre on the imminent creation of a Williamson Square Task Force, which would “assist in the collation of operational knowledge and funding.”
Tasks such as creating a calendar of events, commissioning surveys to aid the reintroduction of the fountain, as well as assessments of drainage and utilities are to be undertaken.
Empty units surrounding the square, such as the disused M&S building, are being earmarked as potential sites for developers looking to maximise usage of the location.
Additionally, assessing feasibility and the sourcing of potential funding streams are on the to-do list.
The study aimed to identify ways in which Williamson Square could be made more engaging via the creation of a “dynamic, vibrant space for everyone to enjoy,” – a defined aim of the study.
The Liverpool Playhouse ran the study in partnership with Liverpool City Council, Liverpool City Region, and Liverpool Business Improvement District.
Layer.studio produced the study and the sketches in collaboration with Howarth Tompkins.
Williamson Square
Since 1745, Williamson Square has been the focal point of Liverpool’s city centre, a short walk from both Liverpool bus station and Lime Street station.
The study states a desire for the square to become “Liverpool’s civic and performative space,” yet revealed the public’s current perception that it “lacks destination,” and is “poor quality.”
David Lord, director of property at Liverpool City Council, said: “Arts and culture are in the city’s DNA.
“Public space is absolutely crucial to the city, and we need to make sure we provide those spaces.
“We want to create a cultural thread running through the city, from Lime Street to the riverside.”
Outlined plans for the square include more seating, lighting, and green space as well as greater provision of events and activities.
Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said the city would use “culture as a catalyst for regeneration,” and emphasised that the location of Williamson Square would be a springboard for Liverpool’s cultural scene.
The Playhouse Theatre
Plans for the square are intertwined with renovations to the Playhouse Theatre, which originally opened in 1845 as a concert hall.
The Liverpool and Merseyside Theatres Trust expressed the need for renovation of the much-loved venue.
Work on the Playhouse would be complicated – various aspects of the building are listed, such as the drum staircase, which was installed in the 1960s, and the magnolia-painted walls.
However, the theatre’s development hopes to contribute to a greener and more engaging square.
The reopening of the main entrance would reveal renovated traditional ticket booths and a restored floor mosaic.
As well as the running of community projects and groups, there would also be a café area on the ground floor, open during the day, inviting passers-by into the venue.
The aim is to encourage the public to use the community spaces the theatre will offer, simultaneously drawing more people to Williamson Square.
Plans also prioritise improved accessibility to the venue, a more spacious theatre and stage, and greater focus on environmental sustainability.
Lord claimed the work would “ensure the Playhouse is here for years to come.”
Rotheram, praised the coordination between Liverpool City Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, highlighting their ability to work in tandem as key to delivering projects for the city.
He said: “Projects like this present an opportunity for people, nature, and the economy to thrive.
“Liverpool is a city where history meets innovation.”
Rotheram is keen to take advantage of the estimated £6bn visitor economy the region boasts.
The hope is that the regeneration will provide visitors with a springboard off which to pursue Liverpool’s plentiful cultural destinations.
What’s next?
The project has momentum and strong backing but is still in its early stages.
A strategy to form a task force, assess feasibility, and deliver improvements to the square will be followed by engagements with commercial and cultural partners for regeneration and events programming.
Haworth Thompkins, MGMA Architects, Layer.studio, PLACED, Price & Myers, Gardiner & Theobald, Skelly & Couch, and Charcoalblue are working alongside the local authorities, BID, and theatre on the plans.
This is welcome. Sadly, the unprepossessing nature of much of the square’s architecture and many of its occupiers mean it’ll have to be public realm of the highest order to meet the lofty claims about it becoming a focal point for the city once more. I wish them well.
By More Anonymous than the others
Plenty of benches please and a dedicated street cleansing team, coupled with a few more decent pavement cafes etc in the old M&S side and we have the makings of a European style square.
By Liverpolitis
Yes great potential but let’s look at the current situation, and except for the Italian Village cafe there’s not much to write home about. Mediocre shops and betting shops, people begging or sleeping in tents, surrounding streets with empty buildings like the former GH Lee store or the never used M&S development. It’s going to take a lot more than a few flower beds( which will be littered in no time),trees, and benches, this will need a complete culture change be-fitting of an institution like the Liverpool Playhouse.
By Anonymous
The square should become a high quality performance space to support the regular music and artistic festivals. It could form a network of performance squares including Clayton Square and Dawson Street which is effectively another square if included in the masterplan. International Beatles Week would have benefited from these outdoor performance spaces on the doorstep of Matthew Street. Don’t remove the existing trees, they’ve taken years to grow and at least one of them is now magnificent!
By Paul Liver
More rhetoric …this project has been in the melting pot since the sixties..in one form or another….just hot air and false promise…like then…nothing will come of it
By Tercol
A pretty picture that looks like it’s sourced from a JMU module. It’s a noble intent but as other commentators have said it needs a much bigger intent. CPO, building refurbishment, tenant curation and management, security, street cleaning etc. The private sector and Liverpool ONE has failed Williamson Square.
By Anonymous
@ 2.23pm, how has the private sector and Liverpool One failed this location, the failure is down to poor city planning. What a pity all them years ago we lost the adjoining Queens Square which had great potential with classical buildings and a cobbled piazza , like you see in Rome. It was the council who allowed the cheap development by Neptune Ltd, now Ion or Promenade I think , and it was the council who allowed the fountain but it never works.
That old job centre on Williamson Square needs pulling down and something attractive put in its place, in fact a few hotels round there would make it more lively.
By Anonymous
I agree with most of the comments – sounds good but needs a lot of thought. The only decent shop is the Italian cafe – need more eateries like this so its a destination. Materials, public realm and caretaking will need to be of the highest order to stop anti social behaviour. Should link in to St John’s Gardens, Museum and Gallery area and up to Lime Street and London Road and the new public realm planned for there so it’s a route. So much footfall from football to theatre goers to people working at Royal and School of Tropical Medicine – lets have some joined up thinking?
By Lizzy Baggot
Gey rid of the drum staircase at the Playhouse. It may be listed, but it’s a typical 60’s carbuncle on a beautiful building. If you want to upgrade the square, do it properly and remove this eyesore
By Anonymous
I welcome something being done about Williamson Sq because presently, as a significant city centre gateway, it’s shabby and embarrassing. It’s worse than a neglected 1960s new town precinct. Liverpool doesn’t have the best track record with developers and its built heritage (which was one of the finest in the UK) has been trashed in places, so let’s hope the task force can use learning from recent mistakes (eg Lime St) .The Playhouse is a hugely important part of this and any renovations must be sympathetic and have an influence on what happens with the overall redevelopment. It’s a wasted opportunity otherwise.
By Dame Suzuki
I like it the way it is, reminds me of the backend of Blackpool
By Anonymous
Planning Rule Number 1: all streets in the city centre must be maximised for street drinking potential.
When even the crayola looks awful, you know this is going to be bad.
By Jeff
The Square needs to remain very permeable and please keep the trees. What needs to be addressed is that awful retail park shed and taxi rank and old Yates`s, these all need to go which could lead to an enlarged square with more suitable and higher quality architecture providing retail space and offices, this would also make Whitechapel much better.
By GetItBuilt!
More ill thought out pie in the sky guff from Rotheram. Perhaps he’ll add a terminal for his cheap and nasty bendy buses there as well.
By Anonymous
The city needs big minded people to encourage investment and more industry back.
By Anonymous
How about also bringing forward plans for other locations in the city centre that are in a poor or neglected state such as; the vacant land around Moorfields, the empty land behind the Pig and Whistle pub, the lower end of London Rd, the remains of the demolished flyover, and many more.
By Anonymous
The title of the article says Revamp , shouldn`t that be Rehash as judging by the cartoon picture the shed of shops will remain and we don`t see anything regarding the side where the old M&S was.
By Anonymous
Sounds nice but County road needs serious revamping.
By Jim
About time the present square is scruffy and unwelcoming the old fountain took up to much space. But a new water feature and land scaping would be great.
By Michael Fitzsimmons
Make feeding pigeons an offence
By Anonymous
Doesn’t matter how much you spend, unless you get the pub to stop daytime karaoke, it’s always going to feel cheap.
By Matt
Unless they repurpose the Old George Henry building, demolish the 1960s facade backing onto the old M&S building and drop the Liverpool FC merchandise store, the remodelling of Williamson Square will be pointless and a waste of money.
By Old Hall Street
Just what is Steve Rotheram talking about, “the city council and city region working together”, since when. Then “an opportunity for people and nature”, what’s that about. I would support a complete redesign of this square but it’s hardly a mega story, he needs to look at what the city down the M62 is achieving eg pulling in 1000’s of Civil Service jobs working with Central Government and the Government Property Agency building 800,000 sq ft of offices plus a landscaped park, now that is worth talking about.
By Anonymous
Never been the same since they closed my Burger Bar. Started the decline
By Mr Wimpy
It really feels they are missing the opportunity to replace the failed indoor market with an outdoor European-style one; the type people actually like going to rather than being forced through a labyrinth maze to artificially increase footfall in a failing shopping centre.
By Anonymous
@ Anon 9.42am, the best place to create a new market would be the old Blacklers store, as that fits nicely into the European style. This would enable access from the street level meanwhile the upper floors could be used for bars and cafes as is the trend nowadays , I assume those lovely staircases still exist in there and that would be such an attraction in this building which is currently wasted with all them tacky bars on Gt Charlotte St. but nothing is present on the upper floors.
By Anonymous
Reminds me of picadilly gardens there.
By Anonymous