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If you controlled Liverpool?

17K views 122 replies 29 participants last post by  Tom Hughes 
#1 ·
If you controlled Liverpool what would you realisticly attempt to achieve in the short to medium term?

I would actively encourage growth of the Maritime sector, Some of you may have read my ideas for the use of Albion House (although in theory this could be anywhere) If not here is a recap...this building should become a Maritime centre, the home of Mersey Maritime, dedicated to assisting Liverpools maritime sector, with meeting rooms, conference facilities and small offices. It should have a small specialist team who can assist Liverpool's many small forwarders and agents to remain competative.

I believe it should also be used by LJMU's Maritime Courses, of which there are a few, for study and to improve the quality and facilities of the courses.

Secondly I would close LJMU's Byrom Street and move the Police HQ to the site. Consolidating and moving LJMU's Byrom Street & Lairdside operations to Stanley Dock, as a new Docklands campus. Ripping out the interior of the tobacco warehouse and starting again. A station in between Moorfields and Sandhills serving the campus.

Cheap Student accomodation could be built and there is ample car parking space. Also allowing LJMU to modernise a logistically hard site (by leaving it.)
This would kick start the redevelopment of the central docks area.

The city should also try and slow the development of large 'out of town' office facilities to try and coax businesses into the city centre.

As every city attempts to take a bite of the culture market, Liverpool should turn to its Maritime Industries to lead its strong and sustained revival.

I also believe Liverpool should try and turn to its Graphics and Wealth Management Businesses but cant say I know enough about these, to write anything.

Whats your thoughts. If you controlled Liverpool what would you do?
 
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#2 ·
I had a crazy (?) idea for the tobacco warehouse the other day after reading that futuretimeline website;
Why not make it an urban farm? A hydroponics food growing facility, seems perfect for it.
Farmscrapers are supposedly the next big thing why shouldn't Liverpool stick its neck out and pioneer it?
It would be a very 'green' thing to do, provide jobs, increase local sustainability and bring a gorgeous, criminally neglected building back into use.

Crazy? Interesting? Practical?
 
#3 ·
1) Stop the planned construction of the mid price hotel on the site of the Golden Phoenix on Hanover St, and build a 3/4 storey building with a basement car park and a superb food market at street level to rival anything in Europe

2) Build a huge lido style swimming pool as close to the Pier Head as possible, equipped with retractable roof for the sunny days we get now and again

3) Improve the ferry service across the Mersey by building more ferry terminals on both sides of the river, purchase smaller, but faster ferries similar to the ones they have in Lisbon, introduce a very frequent timetable which runs through the night

4) Build a multi purpose arena which could house 1 or both of the city's football clubs at the Clarence Dock

5) Build a new station between Moorfields and Sandhills to serve it

6) Build new underground stations around the city centre at such places as Chinatown, near the university, at the junction of Church St and Whitechapel

7) Demolish Queen Square bus station and rebuild it underground in the style of the transport interchanges in Madrid freeing up a huge amount of space

8) Introduce 24 hour road cleansing and road sweepers in the city centre

9) Build a huge area of top quality social housing with balconies or roof terraces on the site of Everton Park

10) Move Radio City out of St John's Tower and open the country's best restaurant there
 
#7 ·
I agree with a few of Neil's suggestions, for example - re-open and create new train stations around the city centre and also out into the rest of the city - such as at West Derby& Childwall.

I would also like to see ferry services to more locations - such as the soon to be re-opened festival gardens at Otterspool and to New Brighton; but also out to Waterloo, where I would like to see the observatory scheme brought-back to life - creating another visitor attraction and local amenity on that stretch of coast.

I would like to see an exhibition hall on the king's Dock site, plus, maybe, a winter garden with aviaries, &/or a go-karting track.

I would prioritise The Lime Street area and refurbish the Adelphi Hotel. I would see this area as an 'arts quarter' - with start-up space for young artists and designers, plus galleries and art outlets; and also more vintage shops, wholefood outlets and cafes. Maybe The old Rapid store could retain its current biennial usage in the guise as the 'start-up artist' space.

The knowledge, university and college sector would expand down this way.

The Scandanavia hotel at China Town would become a Chinese centre and museum, hosting cultural events and exhibitions - and Nelson street would be revitalised.

There would be a new gallery housed in one of the fine mansions on Faulkner Square, and some of the surrounding buildings would be converted back to fine residences in single ownership.

The students would be relocated out of the Great Western Building to rejuvenated areas up on Mount Pleasant and Brownlow Hill, and some other more sensitive use would be found for this magnificent building.

Dream on I say!!!
 
#9 ·
If I was supreme lifelong dictator of Merseyside I would do the following.


1. Completely revise Liverpool Waters to make it a much more mixed scheme. This would contain a 60,000 seat waterfront stadium for Everton FC with the ability to be multi-use and stage concerts. Also a large public park and a rapid rail station, possibly re-opening Waterloo Tunnel to serve the new office, retail, historic, accomodation and sports districts created.

2. Increase the capacity of the rail network where practical in general and interconnect this with a tram network, changing the current Merseytram proposed routes to one City Loop and one line running north to south along the waterfront/city centre taking in the docks/Liverpool Waters.

3. Build an 80,000 seat stadium with a revised design for Liverpool Football Club in Stanley Park.

4. Raise a Merseyside wide tax to pay off the Mersey Tunnel debts and remove the tunnel tolls.

5. Build a road and rail bridge over the Mersey to relieve pressure on the tunnels.

6. Build a pier at New Brighton and run an extended ferry service to there.

7. Smash criminal gangs and impose (real) life sentances for gun handlers and anyone caught in posession of offensive weapons.

8. Take over and mass demolish slum housing and areas of deprivation and return the land to nature/parkland until the owners/developers pull their fingers out of their arses.

9. Turn over some disused docks to the manufacture and shipping of new green technologies.

10. Assasinate my shit-list of pro scousers who I can't stand (Tarbuck, Cilla, Pete Price, Jimmy Corkhill....most of the people who "starred" in that 'Dear Mr Hicks' video).
 
#14 ·
Recreate a half-tide river entrance for use by pleasure boats at high water.

One of Liverpool's unique advantages is that half-tide docks are feasible for boats and small ships due to the exceptionally large tidal range. It should be exploited for pleasure craft as it was for commercial sailing ships a century ago.
 
#15 ·
Ensure high density housing within the area bounded by Queens Drive. All 'High Streets' to be maintained - at least three storeys high with retail along their length: no bodged conversions into social housing or intermittent bungalows or semis. Every mainland European city of note manages this and so did we once.

Encourage Liverpool based shipping companies that will make Liverpool the conduit between Europe and the US (and if the ice melts) Japan and China.

All the usual stuff about the knowledge economy and culture.

Build more hotels - Liverpool is one of the few cities in the world that has a strong sense of place and this is gold dust in an age in which cities are increasingly interchangeable and lacking in distinctiveness.

Tidy up the entire area within the Queens Drive boundary so that not a single derelict, unrenovated building is remaining. Plant more trees. No more lego structures, instead much greater use of stone and if red brick is used it should be used imaginatively to astound us!
 
#16 ·
Ok, heres mine
Promote Liverpool to be the European centre for pharma/biochemical development, hi-tech engineering, knowledge, science, finance and gaming.

Developing and cutting a slice of any new cutting edge trade where Liverpool could get in on the action and make money and jobs

Do a Canary Wharf model on vacant plots in town and the CBD, in the 21st century there is no place for bomb sites, promoting and giving tax breaks to encourage developers and occupiers to build on empty plots, giving height limits for each plot so developers know what they can build to.

Bring back all vacant housing back in to use, sell for a £1 to owner occupiers as an incentive

Fine all RSLs for failing to ensure their houses are used as homes and not blights on neighbourhoods

Employ or have community champions, who ensure local streets are clean and free of broken class, flytipping, general shite which can bring an area down.

Ensure all at risk buildings are saved, and continue face lifting on all city centre buildings

Promoting local shopping areas and helping local business to stay in business, areas such as County Road and Old Swan, Allerton Road etc, to be designated as local hubs and developed with new paving, access and transport

Expand local stations in town and outer areas, its a joke that there are not station on Gainsborough Road and Smithdown near the mistery, and Rocky Lane in Tuebrook, expand lines so there are stations in China Town, Canning and Kenny.

Develope and expand the port of liverpool and associated warehousing and transport

Create a proper Liverpool Lobby Group which would push and lobby everything for Liverpool, from highspeed rail to recycling

Ban all bungalows and shite low density housing in all urban areas

Finally, try and end and stop allowing the scum element of this city giving it a bad name, and trashing areas, and generally bringing areas down
 
#17 · (Edited)
The priority for L'pool must be to revitalse parts of the city centre to encourage tourism and attract people in big numbers from the Greater L'pool area and beyond to live and work in town. So here are a few points.
1.Replace St. John's Precinct with a high quality European style square. It would link to St. Johns Gardens,Church St.,Williamson Sq.,Queen Sq.,Playhouse/Royal Court,Central Village and Lime St. station.
It would contain high quality continental cafes,restaurants,shops;luxury hotel,opera House,L'pool Phil,Auction House etc.
A central feature could be a golden Liver bird/water feature.
2.The Futurist becomes the site of the new St. john's precinct. The Futurist facade could be retained but everything else can go except the corner pubs. Pedestrianise Bolton st,lower skelhorne/copperas Hill have shop frontages.Extend shopping area to vacant plot next to Bolton st.
On opposite side of Lime st. build st. john's Market in the style of a continental market.
Pedestrianise Lime st. to link to Futurist.
3.Replace 051 centre,sorting office,mscp,vacant plot behind adelphi with a sports quarter. It could have an ice rink,skateboard/bike park,5 a side football,tennis courts,olympic standard swimming pool.
4.Turn Renshaw st upto chinatown into a portobello market at weekends.
5.Turn London rd into a Petticoat lane market at weekends.
6.Infill ropewalks with georgian style housing for tourist stays.
7.Replace low density cheap housing eg.Baltic and brownlow hill with high density continental housing and ground floor businesses.
8.create city centre park eg.great george st going into baltic.
9.scandinavian hotel could be used as an hospitality centre for chinese investment.
10.loop HS2 train line to exchange st. .this area needs to be a european business hub by attracting chinese investment,relocation of govt depts. and l'don HQ's and businesses. linked to L'pool waters.
11.build shanghai tower and efc stadium as soon as possible in L'pool waters.
12.extend underground
13.exhibition hall
14.relocate people from poor suburbs to town.Provide incentives.
15.expand airport by removing speke.
16.increase ferry stops eg new brighton,garden festival.
17.extend cruise liner facility to at least 4 cruise ships at a time. Then new world sq. site could be used for turn around.
 
#20 ·
Tourism is important and should remain so, but we need to move away from this being one of our biggest revenue streams. We need to push and develop new industries which create large amounts of jobs and associated support structures. Shipping, transport, energy, finance and manufacturing/science are and must be our way forward to becoming a wealthy and constantly growing city.

Get this right, and everything falls into place as a result
 
#24 ·
And also high spec housing. Think of a professional family and where they would want to live or relocate to. Not a Barrat house in Maghull!! Where would they move in Liverpool? What we need is increased capacity if we are looking to attract new businesses and companies. City centre matchbox "luxury apartments" don't cut the mustard I'm affraid.
 
#23 · (Edited)
OK. I know lots of the answers here have been blue sky personal indulgences so here for what they are worth are mine. Not so many specifics I'm afraid - maybe a bit boring too.

1) Push for greater support for the universities - they really need to climb the rankings and numbers need to be increased so lots of inward investment in terms of course diversity, numbers and research along with better quality HoR. Graduates and encouraging them to stay is the lifeblood of any successful city.
2) Still educationally minded encourage local schools to push pupils into higher education - liverpool has one of the lowest percentages of any metropolitan area of citizens who are educated to higher level education. This is a marker that really whets the appetite of any potential companies when relocating. They want educated staff.
3) Greater co-operation between all the councils in the LEP area towards a common good with respect to diverse initiatives, transport being one of them - Specifically light rail and trams. All the above stations would be cool additons to the underground, Liverpool Waters, University, Baltic Triangle? Can anyone tell me why there is limited advertising on the platforms of the stations unlike the London underground?
4) Petitioning of the goverment for greater inernational access, HS2, Reserved rail time for port based rail, trams and Airport Expansion (Time the rest of the carriers considered Liverpool as an option - more lobbying)
5) Expedite post panamax port preparation. Tax breaks for Import/Export & nshipping companies
6) Development of city center & waterfront to be rivalalist centric rather than pandering to the potential Loss of World Heritage Status. Christ EH and CABE have completely hobbled Liverpools recovery. This has been a rod for Liverpools back. If its lost then so be it, whats more important!! I really don't believe it is helping at the moment. We need to believe that there are enough passionate people to protect what we have in office locally.
7) A "road map" for Liverpool whereby the needs of the city are matched to other successful cities. For instance what are we lacking, office space, hotels? BE guided by other great port cities (New York, Barcelona, Marseilles) on what our requirements are based on optimistic projections of population & industries etc.
8) A concerted effort to address the cities balckspots: specifically cracking down on litter, organised crime, derelict building in the city centre. Can by-laws not be passed to penalise landlords for the state of the properties they are sitting on so that they are fined up to a point where holding on to them precludes them from holding on to them. There does seem to be an attitude that Liverpool has improved and that's great but we need to look at our competitors. To see where we are failing and to improve all the city centre properties - specifically Bold Street, Renshaw Street, Lime Street and London Road
9)Compulsory purchase of empty (car park plots) plots in the city for their development
10) Find us a new Gaudi or Hundertvasser. Build in Liverpool with a flair that isn't just reactive or in steel glass and light but something distinctive to add to our proud and mixed archetectural styles. Something significant and amazing. I think we really need this.
11) The creation of several hubs away from the city centre of with a cultural and artistic draw, cafes, galleries, bars etc

And 12) PR PR PR....sell what we have. Not just the Beatles or was was good and great but the current. Our location, the aesthetic. An Ocean facing boistrous Port City surrounded by beautiful countryside and populated by friendly people.
 
#27 ·
Additionally, there are masses of great houses around all of our major parks - most of which are badly and shoddily sub-divided.

Currently, it would take a very brave soul to take on the renovation of one of these houses, especially if just moving into the city.

What we need is our own middle-classes to start to move into these avenues and roads - to step out of the comfort zones of Childwall, Woolton, L18 and Crosby - where most people immediately head, or aspire to.

We have incredible housing stock with grand proportions and potential 'elegant' living - with greenery and parks on hand.

The attachment to certain postcodes in the city is pronounced. The cache attached to just a few roads and very specific locations, is ridiculous. People want to live in L18 or L25. A few streets away in L17 or L19, for example, just won't do.

People seem happy to pay a small fortune to live on Queen's Drive, for example,but would never consider the more attractive stretches of Aigburth Rd.

If I came into some money, I'd be looking at 'doing up' a large, fine period residence near a park or near the river.

Fulwood Park, for example, still has loads of potential. Much of it is still taken up with badly divided mansions.
 
#29 ·
Couldnt agree more Jane, the housing is already there, the roads, pavements and schools need to be upgraded and planning permission denied for conversion to flats. Toxteth, Sefton Park, Princes Park where built as upper middle class housing, and theres no reason why the cant be again. Ship out the shitty hostels and shelters for drunks and get decent hardworking people in who will spend money on Lark Lane and Aigburth Road.

Modern versions of the Georgian townhouses can be added to Canning and extended all the way to Smithdown, Kensington Fields and the north side.
 
#28 ·
I agree Jane. Several more good independent Schools and Substantial family Housing are really lacking. Like you say there needs to be a divergence away from these perceived good areas. I mean they are fine but not outstandingly good.

The houses around Newsham Park, Moscow and Kremlin Drive, Church Road off Prescott Road - there are lots of fine buildings here. Its just takes a few urban venturers to move in and claim it back. There are always these cycles of great houses falling on hard times and then being destroyed as they become split up and divided by housing associations before finally becoming to derelict before in steps a brave soul to completely refurbish it at a knock down price. Think of many of the properties around Sefton Park even say 20 years ago. Is there any reason why Newsham park couldn't be reclaimed in the same way?
 
#30 ·
The way to bring Liverpool above Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester is to bring plenty of private sector investment so we have big business here to attract the best and KEEP the best in the city. Also, improving the North of Liverpool is crucial as a person travelling to Anfield or Goodison Park would be put off Liverpool the way the North is so run down. Edge Lane is a disgrace however I know it is currently being regenerated.
 
#31 · (Edited)
You make a good point Tomo. Many has been been the time I have met people who's only experience of Liverpool is visiting whilst watching their Football teams play here in an away game. Needless to say their exposure to the city wasn't the best it could be whether driving in alonf Edge Lane or getting the train and then being bussed there from Lime Street.

Anyway to attract inward investment people have to want to move here when company offices relocate. So we need smart interesting places for people to enjoy living in with plenty to do and great schools.

Check this link out, Manchester has 3, Newcastle 2, Sheffield 1, Birmingham 2 and Liverpool 0

http://www.best-schools.co.uk/league-tables/gcse-grades.aspx
 
#32 ·
Education for the poorest in society being improved will do wonders for any city (not only Liverpool) and would have a whole host of benefits from economic to social.

A whole host of good things would follow if the education of the poorest 50% of Liverpool was vastly improved.
 
#33 ·
Try and establish the city as a special economic zone.

1. Special tax incentives for foreign investments in the SEZs.
2. Greater independence on international trade activities.
3. Economic characteristics are represented as "4 principles":
-Construction primarily relies on attracting and utilizing foreign capital
-Primary economic forms are Sino-foreign joint ventures and partnerships as well as wholly foreign-owned enterprises
-Products are primarily export-oriented
-Economic activities are primarily driven by market forces

SEZs are listed separately in the national planning (including financial planning) and have province-level authority on economic administration. SEZs local congress and government have legislation authority.

Currently, the most prominent SEZs in the country are Shenzhen, Xiamen, Shantou, and Hainan Province. It is notable that Shenzhen, Shantou, and Zhuhai are all in Guangdong province, and all are on the southern coast of China where sea is very accessible for transportation of goods.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Economic_Zones_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China

Not exactly like China though - more of a focus on research, development, creativity and hi-tech manufacture.
 
#35 ·
One of the main reasons why this regeneration is not happening is that there is not the critical mass of moneyed, creative middle-class types.

In London, for example, outer suburbs have gradually been 'yuppified' by those unable to afford house prices in, previously, cache areas.

We just do not have that kind of culture, and pressure of numbers here - as yet!!!!!!!

Can anybody relate any urban tales - outside of London, where this kind of 'outward pressure' regeneration has occurred?
 
#37 ·
I know what you mean Jane but I don't think its quite as simple as that. For a start what initiates an influx of monied types? In part it has to be both the desire and opportunities to live in a particlular area. So lets say if a huge multinational considers moving a part of its business North and finds that Liverpool suits because of lower business taxes, cheaper office space and an improving infrastructure including a council that's seen as very business friendly that area needs to be able to accommodate the employees that will choose to move too.

See the example of BBC moving northwards. Many employees are refusing to move. So in Liverpool where PR is a problem less people will be inclined to do so. And on top of that is there anywhere for them to move to that approximates to areas where they live at the moment? I think citing the tiny Woolton and Mossley Hill areas isn't enough. And places like Allerton and Childwall are sterile. Theres potential in places like Waterloo and Crosby but really there needs to be several more hub areas. Lets consign Lark Lane to a bad attempt at it. Chorlton would be a better attempt at it. You just need nice big houses, a good collction of shops (delis, coffee shops etc) and a few big old pubs that can be turned into gastropubs and good transport into the city centre and thats the nucleus that may initiate an area to become desirable and maybe may make people think twice about wanting to move there. Just my opinion though.
 
#39 ·
The problem is there are loads of large spacious housing all around the city centre, such as Canning, Princes Avenue, Sefton Park, Croxteth Road/Ullet Road, Kensington, Newsham Park, Elm Park. These areas were built for upwardly mobile people. The issue is that these houses are flats, or shelters and do not attract the likes which would choose Allerton and Woolton.

The council needs to target these areas and make them more attractive, once this is done they could be more popular than any other residential area.
 
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