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Cabinet
to set heritage building priorities
MORE than £50 million could be
invested in Liverpool's most at risk historic buildings.
A report to the council's Cabinet outlines the city's 25 heritage priorities
for the immediate future, aiming to capitalise on recent success which has
seen the number of historically significant listed buildings deemed to be
at risk fall to a 24 year low of 2.6%; ½ the national average.
The City Council has been commended by Historic England for its work to
bring back into use buildings such as the:- Royal Insurance Building and
Stanley Dock, and the 2015 Royal Society of Arts Heritage Index placed
Liverpool among the best large cities and in the top 20 percent of places
overall.
On Friday, 30 October 2015, the City Council will be asked to commit to
prioritising buildings, based upon their eligibility for funding from
organisations such as Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Historic England.
The report notes that a number of buildings are subject to live funding
applications, including:-
► Calderstones Mansion House
► Granby Four Streets
► Woolton Baths
► Croxteth Park
► St James Church
► Anfield Catacombs
Future applications for funding are set to be made for the former Everton
Library, St George's Hall (to increase public access) the Welsh Presbyterian
Church on Princes Road, Toxteth Reservoir, Anfield Cemetery and Everton Park
while the Wellington Rooms is also a high priority.
In addition, Stanley Park in Anfield will undergo further restoration works
including new footpaths, the planting of new trees, resurfacing the existing
car park, new and improved lighting and repairs to the sandstone entrances
and gates.
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:-
"We have had tremendous success in bringing back into use dilapidated and
rundown buildings, and our record is among the best in the country.
It is just several years since gems such as the Royal Insurance Building and
the north warehouse at Stanley Dock were under real threat, but by working
proactively with the private sector we've been able to find new ways of
bringing them back into use, preserving them for future generations.
As well as the work on St Luke's Church, we've also worked hard recently
with Historic England to make sure that Heaps Rice Mill has been protected
as part of the redevelopment of the site.
But we are absolutely not complacent and know that there is much more to do.
Everybody knows we have less money than we did, but we have a 1st class
track record in levering in heritage funding and working with developers and
other groups to find viable ways to restore buildings.
This is not an exhaustive list and we are continuing to work hard to protect
and improve other listed buildings, for example by carrying out enforcement
action against owners."
The full list of
priority buildings is:- ► St Luke's Church.
► Fruit Exchange - Victoria Street.
► Former Welsh Presbyterian Chapel.
► Eldon Grove.
► Everton Library.
► Wellington Rooms (also known as the Irish Centre).
► Anfield Cemetery and Anfield Catacombs.
► Lister Drive library.
► Greenbank Synagogue.
► Toxteth Park Cemetery Chapel.
► Hartley Village Factory buildings.
► Tobacco and South Warehouses, Stanley Dock.
► Westminster Road Fire Station.
► 35-39 Pembroke Place.
► Christ Church, Kensington.
► Gwalia, West Derby.
► Richmond Baptist Chapel.
► Allerton Tower, Stables and Laundry.
► Kiln Hey West Derby.
► 12 to 14 Wellington Avenue.
► 57 to 65 Everton Road.
► Bankhall Street Warehouse.
► Fir Grove (42 to 50 Percy Street).
► Former Merseyside Deaf Centre.
► St James Church, Toxteth. |
