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October 14th, 2005, 08:01 PM

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=16247381%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26page=1%26headline=57%2d%2drise%2din%2dcity%2dcentre%2dliving-name_page.html

57% rise in city centre living Oct 14 2005

By Sam Lister Daily Post Staff

LIVERPOOL'S city centre population will rise by a staggering 57% over the next decade, the Daily Post can reveal.

Research predicts a boom in urban dwellers with an extra 9,000 expected to flock to new up-market developments.

But experts warned the wave of new homes must sit alongside community facilities such as schools, shops and green space, as well as parking, or they could end up as little more than desolate reminders of over-ambitious regeneration.

In a switch from the current trend of younger professionals, the majority of the new influx will be made up from the over-50s and families.

The research reveals commercial confidence in Liverpool is set to continue, with more than 8,000 homes in the city completed, under consideration or with planning consent this year.

Just 10 years ago, only 2,000 people chose city living, but by 2015 the number will stand at at least 18,000.

Last night, city council leader Cllr Mike Storey said the predictions reflected the momentous recovery Liverpool had made from its "near-death" experience 20 years ago.

He said: "The city centre has been revitalised in recent years after it underwent a near-death experience in the 1980s.

"It is now increasingly seen as a highly attractive place to live in and work in, and the population will continue to rise in the years to come."

The report, Future City - The Northern Residential Review 2005, commissioned by Knight Frank Residential Research, found the resurgence in city life was driven by a desire to live close to work and cultural amenities.

Traditionally, it has been the choice of young professionals but as they begin to have families many are expected to look for homes nearby instead of moving out to the suburbs, as has previously been the trend.

Liverpool is also now attracting older residents - the so--called empty nesters - who want to take advantage of living close to amenities such as public transport and health care.

But the main problems, researchers found, were a lack of parking, shortage of storage space and noise.

Many residents also complained about a lack of green open space.

Cllr Steve Munby, Labour spokesman for regeneration, warned the city's upmarket developments could emulate the disaster of 1960s tower blocks, which were initially hailed as great examples of modern urban design, only for some to become areas of social deprivation.

He said: "It's amazing how quickly nice apartment blocks can become somewhere no-one wants to live if the infrastructure isn't there.

"Liverpool still has a long way to go. "Parking is a massive problem for two reasons - there needs to be provision for people living in the city centre who want cars and then it needs to be enforced.

"There are residents' areas in some areas of Liverpool 1 which are not enforced at all. There are a lot of pensioners who have become prisoners in their own homes because their pavements are blocked with contractors' cars or the entrance to their homes has been blocked by someone working in the city.

"The system is not in place to cope with it. "The council needs to think of the bigger picture, it needs to think about green space and facilities when it is granting planning applications, not just take any money that is going and talk about investment in the city.

"It has taken its eye off the ball and it needs to start making very clear to developers what it expects from them."

The research shows how a decade ago Liverpool was bottom of the pile when it came to city centre dwellers, compared with other northern cities like Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.

It has now moved into second place, with Manchester still leading the way.

City centre addresses are now highly sought after and developments are springing up across Liverpool to meet demand.

At Princes Dock, work has already started on the 24-storey Alexandra Tower and the City Lofts complex. Argyle Street will be home to a £7m block of 78 apartments and many more are being planned or are under way.

Work is starting on Beetham's West Tower, while more than 1,800 homes are eventually planned at Kings Dock.

William Rees, Knight Frank's Liverpool representative, said: "The research was based on government predictions, planning pipelines and industry experts' predictions and it is very positive for Liverpool. There has been fantastic growth and the next 10 years look very exciting.

"We have been involved in some major projects, including City Lofts, at Princes Dock, where three-quarters of the apartments have already been sold off plan.

"There is a confidence and vitality in they city."

Professor Peter Roberts, head of regional planning at Liverpool University and chairman of the Academy for Sustainable Communities, said: "Great architecture and great design is only part of the process for creating a sustainable city centre community.

"A city cannot just build its way out of problems. The external appearance of developments isn't the most important aspect and we must not assume that wealth trickles down to the rest of the community.

"It is vital that the schemes are balanced. There must be open space provision and retail and transport provision should be part of it.

"They must have a quality natural environment, otherwise they will not succeed.

"There is also a potential problem with over-supply. Developers must offer people what they want, even if architects don't think it is an exciting design, otherwise people will not want to live there.

"Liverpool is about five or 10 years behind Leeds in its growth and has lagged behind others, but that is no bad thing.

"It means we can learn from their mistakes.

"There is more of a trend now for older people to move into the city because it means services are on their doorstep.

"They have the best access to hospitals and health and social services, which are more of a concern to older people.

"It used to be that the over-50s opted to move out to the sticks but it is a bit of a gamble really because there is more of a difficulty accessing services.

"There is also the cultural side of things. Once you get a bit older, and I speak as a man nearing 60, you don't want to spend your life on the M62 or in a traffic jam on Edge Lane. There are a number of public advantages economically to increasing city centre living.

"It helps sustain shops and services and it also means developers are using brownfield sites instead of trying to get hold of greenfield sites out of town."

Liverpool City Council is encouraging the growth of city living alongside existing city centre businesses and leisure activities. The current emphasis is on increasing the number of family homes to balance out the somewhat ubiquitous apartment blocks.

Over recent years, a number of Georgian buildings in Hope Street were converted into flats but the council is hoping to restore them to their former glory to attract families into the area.

The council concedes new schools and health facilities will have to be considered if current provision is inadequate. But parking provision for developments in the city has proved controversial.

Current planning guidelines mean the planning committee has passed plans which provide little, if any, provision for parking in new residential developments.

This is because of the belief that urban dwellers do not rely on cars because they have better access to public transport, a theory Liverpool's own head of planning, Lady Doreen Jones, has always regarded as misguided.

Nevertheless, following legal advice, her committee granted permission for the Beetham's West Tower development on Old Hall Street, which will house 127 luxury flats and penthouse apartments with just 15 car parking spaces.

The council currently has a radical blueprint on car park provision in the city centre which is currently out to consultation.

A council spokesman said: "It is about getting the balance between demands right.

"We have introduced residents' parking in Canning Street, for example.

"The provision of parking is currently under consideration."

samlister@dailypost.co.uk