SPD launched to protect Liverpool’s heritage
Liverpool City Council has set out a supplementary planning document providing detailed guidance on how prospective development should intertwine with the city’s extensive cultural and heritage assets.
By adopting the Historical Environment SDP, planning applications will be required to take into account the effect of developments in and around historical buildings, conservation areas, or registered parks.
Liverpool has around 1,500 buildings and structures with listed status – under this SPD, guidance will be given on how a development might impact a heritage asset’s “unique character”, and what can be done to mitigate any such threats.
In addition, the document identifies 36 conservation areas and 10 public parks, including Wavertree Garden Suburb, Newsham Park, and Castle Street, that will be protected under its umbrella.
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet will review the draft document and initiate a further round of consultations before it is finalised at the end of the year.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King was recently awarded grade one-listed status. Credit: PNW
Cllr Nick Small, cabinet member for growth and economy at Liverpool City Council, said although exciting projects are coming forward, the city “must remember the incredible buildings and places that make [Liverpool] so special”.
He added: “Liverpool is steeped in history, and this document will help us protect our cherished landmarks while making new ones.
“We are lucky to have much-loved green spaces all over the city, and this proposed policy would put necessary safeguarding measures in place for them.
“Most of all, this city belongs to its people, which is why consultations with residents and businesses are so valuable.”
The city’s waterfront is highlighted within the document, which ensures that any waterfront development will need to “harmonise” with the existing historic and natural environment to secure planning permission.
Liverpool’s attempts to stimulate development, especially along its waterfront where the extensive Liverpool Waters plans have been proposed, led to the city being stripped of its Unesco World Heritage status in 2021. The status had been a source of pride for Liverpudlians after the city was awarded it in 2004. However, by the time it was removed, many in the built environment sector were glad to see it go and criticised UNESCO for a lack of flexibility.
The city council’s guidance is intended to ensure the city’s heritage remains at the forefront of planning decisions.
This will specifically impact BDP and West 8’s draft vision for the waterfront’s transformation, which is already under public consultation.
The Historical Environment SPD will complement other guiding documents such as the Tall Buildings Policy and the Liverpool Local Plan.
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Snore.
By Roy
In fairness the snail’s pace of development in the city protects Liverpool’s heritage assets already.
By Anonymous
I wish to Christ Liverpool council would see to it that stuff gets built. The fact that there is so little co struction compared to Manchester is an absolute disgrace
By Steven O
So many spfs, tall building policies, local plans for developers to wade through. Little surprise so few of them bother with Liverpool.
By Anonymous
Great – more ammo for the planners to reduce or stop development.
By Mike
And how will that save almost lost buildings such as The Wellington Rooms (old Irish Centre) which LCC have done nothing about for the last 20 odd years plus many more perilous sites.
By GetItBuilt!
Hopefully this added administrative bureaucracy will not cause potential investors to go elsewhere rather than be bound up in endless red tape. Liverpool has a sad record of putting off investor interest by imposing restrictions that make schemes unworkable
By Anonymous
You can have as many listed buildings as you like but if they’re laying idle, covered in weeds, and not being maintained, then so much for heritage concerns, remember too the Abbey Cinema at Wavertree which quickly got listed when Lidl wanted to demolish it, well it’s still empty. At present I can think of the Wellington Rooms, ex Irish Centre, listed and vacant, the Welsh Church near Princes Boulevard, The Bonded Tea Warehouse on Great Howard St, all crumbling.
Oh and by the way any city that says it cares about it’s heritage yet allowed the inner city to be littered with inappropriate, cheap, suburban, housing needs to look in the mirror and say we failed. Yes we need to respect our heritage in Liverpool but we also need to recognise that we have to move with times, get well paid jobs back into the city, build high-density in the centre, and re-introduce a style of terraced housing that suits a major city.
By Anonymous
Here we go again. Another reformed UNESCO policy prohibiting future development and growth. Wake up Liverpool. Manchester predates Liverpool that extends back to antiquity. It hasn’t stopped them developing the city and attracting huge organisations whilst at the same time preserving it’s past. I travelled down the M602 only last week. I was blown away by the economic forest of tower cranes and towers. It wouldn’t surprise me if Manchester becomes an economic powerhouse in the Northwest and it absorbs Liverpool as part of that process. How much longer do we have to wait to have somebody take Liverpool by the scruff of the neck and thrust it into the 21st century. For as long as we continue to have the current lacklustre leadership of Rotherham & Small Liverpool will never thrive. Nick Small member for growth and economy, sounds like a line from a Tommy Cooper sketch.
By Stephen Hart
Yeh not Rome
By Anonymous
Protecting when the city had ambitions 100 years ago
By Anonymous
Another week and yet another SPD (supplementary planning document) and surprise, surprise yet another round of consultations are being announced. All LCC seem to be able to produce are planning documents and certainly not progress. Our ancestors that built and made our city great really believed in making our city great and really believed in moving forward and making progress. It was they who turned what was once a minor fishing harbour on the banks of the Mersey into a thriving international port and destination. If the current LCC and councillors were in charge then I am totally sure nothing would have happened and certainly no port would have been built and three hundred years on it would still be out for consultation! Our fine city is going backwards rather than forwards thanks to LCC and will soon be accepted as just a suburb of our noisy neighbours in Manchester!!!
By Brendan R
Liverpool should stop thinking of emulating Manchester, which has been over-developed to the point where it’s lost its character and is a mess of tall, bland buildings jumbled together, with no concern for the urban fabric or the people obliged to live in these soul-less surroundings.
By Anthony
If people want to see how efficient Liverpool city council is come to lark lane your in for a surprise. All the city council is interested in is business.
They don’t give a dam about residents.the noise off lark lane is horrendous. Bin wagons turn up every morning between 5 and 6 AM you cant leave your windows open to let fresh air in because of the noise. If any one spots any traffic wardens or traffic police please tell them where lark lane is. THE PARKING IS A ABSOLUTE JOKE.
People just turn up on lark lane and park WHERE THE WANT. Liverpool city council couldn’t run a bath never mind a city. If you want to see a city that’s run well that’s thriving and looks after its residents go to Manchester. I HAVE VOTED LABOUR ALL
MY LIFE. I AM 69 YEARS OF AGE WORKED ALL MY LIFE I WILL NEVER VOTE LABOUR
AGAIN? THIS COUNCIL IS TOTALLY BANKRUPT OF ANY WAYTO RUN A CITY LIKE
LIVERPOOL.
By Fed up liverpudlian
You just can’t help feeling that there is a force within the City Planning Office and amongst certain councillors that is committed to curtailing development and is anti profit. This streak has persisted now for decades and except for a blip when Liverpool One was built and the City of Culture happened we haven’t shown much ambition. This latest planning policy is more or less doing the work that UNESCO was ie effectively blocking or delaying developers till they severely amend their schemes or get frustrated and give up.
By Anonymous