Liverpool Welcomes Recommendation to Maintain World Heritage Status

LIVERPOOL has welcomed a recommendation that the City maintains its World Heritage Status. The City's status is to be fully debated by the World Heritage Committee at their annual summit in Bahrain at the end of June 2018, but an initial report published by UNESCO and heritage body ICOMOS is recommending Liverpool is not deleted from the World Heritage list.

The draft recommendation is largely based upon the collaborative work of Liverpool City Council, Government, Historic England and Peel Holdings, which resulted in a new Desired State of Conservation Report (DSOCR) describing the corrective measures Liverpool is proposing to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of its World Heritage site.

The DSOCR which was endorsed by the Council's Cabinet in February and submitted to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will be fully examined and debated by the World Heritage Committee, at its 42nd Session, in July 2018.

The report focuses on the main issue of how the City needs to balance its projected population and economic growth over the next 15 years, which will see the creation of 35,000 new homes and 30,000 jobs, whilst protecting its World Heritage Site (WHS).

The main threat to the City's World Heritage Site, as perceived by UNESCO, is the nature of proposed development in areas of the ₤5bn Liverpool Waters scheme, specifically for its Central Docks neighbourhood, which was given outline planning permission in June 2013.

However, the report shows that in close collaboration with the Council and Historic England, Peel's illustrative proposals for Central Docks have been reviewed in line with UNESCO's recently published:- 'Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL)' guidance, and a resulting neighbourhood masterplan, focused on the human scale and the site's heritage assets, with a clearer justification for the profile and heights of buildings set out around a major central park.

Other proposed corrective measures in the DSOCR, all of which are either completed or in progress, are:-

► The provision of a comprehensive Management Plan for the World Heritage Site (WHS) – approved by Cabinet in May 2017.

► To provide regulatory planning documents which provide clear, legal guidelines to protect the WHS Property. The City Local Plan, the Liverpool Waters Neighbourhood Masterplans, the WHS management Plan and a proposed new Supplementary Planning Document.

►  Develop a skyline policy for tall buildings as proposed in the City's Local Plan.

►  Provide clear urban design guidelines as proposed in the City's Local Plan.

►  Implement the complementary Ten Streets Spatial Regeneration Framework - approved by Cabinet in February 2018.

►  Future management of the WHS Property potentially through the creation of a new Trust.

►  Develop and Implement a WHS Interpretation and Communication Strategy building on the creation of the 1st WHS 'Hub' at the RIBA North Centre including the use of the City's Digital Model.

►  Review the WHS Property boundary with a view to the enhancement/extension of the site.

Mayor Joe Anderson, who set up an independent Task Force in 2017 to forge a positive debate with Government and UNESCO, said:- "The decision to maintain Liverpool's World Heritage status is very welcome news, and a testament to the efforts over the last 12 months to show UNESCO what the City is doing to celebrate is unique position. As the huge crowds who enjoyed the Tall Ships Festival, will have noted, Liverpool's maritime heritage is very much a fundamental part of our cultural scene and the City is very keen to use our World Heritage Status to shape our future tourism economy as well as our civic pride. The DSOCR report shows in great detail the lengths Liverpool has already gone and will continue to go, to balance the needs of a growing City whilst protecting our World Heritage Status. This is a delicate task and involves all the major City stakeholders working together to understand very specific planning issues and creating solutions that works for the City and UNESCO. With the support and input of the DDCMS I am sure this collaborative approach means we can all ensure Liverpool's World Heritage Status is officially secured when the committee meets."

The UNESCO and ICOMOS report can be read here.  (Pages 4 to 7)

Liverpool has already taken many steps to protect and improve the physical state of its WHS. A survey has shown that since 2012 the number of Buildings at Risk have been reduced to below 2.75% of building stock; far below the UK national average; with recent successes including the re-opening of St Luke's Church (also known as the Bombed Out Church) while work this week has begun to save and eventually transform the historic Wellington Rooms (the City's former Irish Centre).

In total more than ₤750m has been invested into historic assets within the WHS in the past decade including the upgrade of 37 listed buildings, 18 with Council financial assistance, such as the Aloft Hotel, the award winning Central Library and Stanley Dock.

Since 2015 each development proposal that has the potential to affect the OUV is accompanied by a Heritage Impact Assessment that details the significance of the asset/s that may be affected, the nature of that impact and, where appropriate, how any harmful impacts can be mitigated.

Formby set for traffic chaos

FORMBY Bridge will be closed from 4 June 2018, for up to 3 weeks, with even more delays likely over the 1st 2 days, until 6 June as the work on Freshfield Road is finished. Also with Raven Meols Lane closed due to a collapsed sewer, expect the junction on Duke Street Roundabout to become extremely busy. From 5 June to 7 June, the B5424 Liverpool Road, will be possibly be affected by roadworks. For those using Merseyrail, the car park on Andrews Lane might also be affected road works until 8 June, plus diversion might be put in place down this road, from Formby Bridge. Church Road is having temporary traffic controls put in place on 6 June, as road works take place. Also having temporary traffic controls will be Raven Meols Lane from 11 June to 19 June. Even if you get out of Formby, the A565, Formby Bypass will have work taking place on it, over 12 June to 14 June 2018, with a lane closure for grass cutting. Plus their are lots of other work taking place around the area, like Altcar Road is also having work carried out between 8 June to 12 June and Wicks Green, from 5 June to 18 June. These others are not likely to affect your commute, but worth noting.  With all this work and the roads being overloaded with the bank holiday traffic, the question is, how can Formby cope with even more traffic, should any more development of housing estates take place? Please let us know your thoughts on the traffic issues being faced by the residents of Formby, via emailing us to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com, remember that should you wish to stay anonymous, please indicate on your email, you wish to remain anonymous.