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LIVERPOOL STRIPPED OF UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE STATUS

21 July 2021
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Getty Images
Liverpool's World Heritage status recognised the architectural landmarks on the
waterfront

Liverpool has been stripped of its World Heritage status after a UN committee
found developments threatened the value of the city's waterfront.

The decision was made following a secret ballot by the Unesco committee at a
meeting in China.

Unesco had said that the developments, including the planned new Everton FC
stadium, had resulted in a "serious deterioration" of the historic site.

The decision was described as "incomprehensible" by the city's mayor.

"Our World Heritage site has never been in better condition having benefitted
from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment across dozens of listed
buildings and the public realm," Joanne Anderson said.



She said she would work with the government to examine whether the city could
appeal against the decision, which comes "a decade after Unesco last visited the
city to see it with their own eyes".

0:31
The decision was made at a UN meeting in China

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said the decision was "a retrograde
step that does not reflect the reality of what is happening on the ground".

"Places like Liverpool should not be faced with the binary choice between
maintaining heritage status or regenerating left-behind communities and the
wealth of jobs and opportunities that come with it," he said.

Labour's Kim Johnson, MP for Liverpool Riverside, said she remained "proud of my
city and what we've done".



"People come here because it's amazing city and, while I'm disappointed, as a
city we are resilient and we will always fight back."

Everton FC
An artist's impression of Everton's new stadium, which is being built at Bramley
Moore Dock

The government said it was "extremely disappointed" and believes Liverpool still
deserves its heritage status "given the significant role the historic docks and
the wider city have played throughout history".

Liverpool becomes only the third site to lose its World Heritage status since
the list began in 1978, the other two being Oman's Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in
2007 and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany in 2009.

 * Proposal to remove World Heritage status 'painful'
 * Australia angered by Great Barrier Reef report
 * Everton cleared to build new £500m stadium



Announcing the decision, the committee chairman said 20 votes had been cast -
with 13 in favour of deleting the city, five against the proposal and two ballot
papers being invalid.

Liverpool's Liberal Democrat leader Richard Kemp said it was a "day of shame"
for the city, adding that it would "without a doubt, affect our tourism and
inward investment".

0:17
City's heritage status loss "a real shame"

The city was awarded the much-coveted title in 2004 in recognition of its
historical and architectural impact, joining places including the Taj Mahal,
Egypt's Pyramids and Canterbury Cathedral.

It recognised its history as a major trading centre during the British Empire
and its architectural landmarks.



However, a report in June by the World Heritage Committee said developments on
the city's waterfront had resulted in "irreversible loss of attributes".

It cited the Liverpool Waters project and Everton's new stadium, which is being
built at Bramley Moore Dock.



Chris Capes, director of development for Peel L&P's Liverpool Waters, said he
was disappointed "particularly given the considerable investment that the city
has put into protecting and improving its heritage sites".

Everton have agreed to invest up to £55m to "preserve, restore and celebrate the
heritage assets" of the area as part of its stadium plan.



They project was approved following two public consultations, with the second
survey attracting more than 40,000 people.

The club found 98% of people supported the proposed design of the stadium, while
96% backed the club's plans for historic features on the site.




ANALYSIS

By Claire Hamilton, BBC Radio Merseyside political reporter

Getty Images


Liverpool has seen more peaks and troughs than most, and it's a city which has
changed immeasurably since 2004 when the World Heritage Status was conferred.

Back then, there was no Liverpool One shopping centre, no hint that Everton
would consider building a multi-million pound waterfront stadium and its year as
European Capital of Culture hadn't happened. The city has changed.

Today, there's a sense of defiance in some quarters about Unesco's decision that
the city doesn't need the title, especially if sits in the way of progress for
an area which has lain neglected and semi derelict for decades.

Critics argue the benefits of being a World Heritage status were never properly
spelled out and there wasn't the political will in the city to address Unesco's
concerns until recently, when it was too late.

Many people argue that tourists visiting the Pier Head, St George's Plateau or
Penny Lane are not coming because Liverpool is a designated World Heritage site
- they probably don't even realise it is.



They're coming for the Beatles, the football, food and the history but that
history will remain.

Yet today's announcement worries those who fear that the ability to protect
heritage, architecture and history is now diminished, that there will be a
free-for-all of unsuitable, careless development.

The argument for the last decade has been presented as a binary choice: heritage
or progress? The feeling in Liverpool is, couldn't we have had both?


Dr David Jeffery
Dr David Jeffery hopes the decision will act as a warning to the council


Dr David Jeffery, who is a lecturer of British politics at the University of
Liverpool, said he believed the decision would not have a "serious impact" on
the city's tourism industry.

"I do hope this serves as a warning to the council to stop approving ugly
buildings though," he said.

Wayne Colquhoun, who has campaigned for 15 years to keep Liverpool's heritage
status, said he was "devastated" by the news.

"It's the status symbol that has put us up there with the Great Wall of China
and the pyramids and now it has gone," he said.

"You've got to be clever being a World Heritage city and be able to take
traditional materials and build them in a modern manner."



Wayne Colquhoun said the decision would "stop people thinking that we are up
there with the greatest cities on Earth"

Richie Wright, 40, who has lived in Liverpool all his life, said the status had
"on many occasions, hampered and restricted development in a city that is ripe
for development".

"I hope that Liverpool and its wider city region now seizes this opportunity to
make common sense decisions that make our city and the world proud," he said.




LIVERPOOL'S HERITAGE

Getty Images
World War One soldiers paraded outside St George's Hall in 1915

 * The World Heritage Site stretches from the city's famous waterfront, through
   the historic commercial districts, to St George's Hall
 * The city's bid for the status was centred on its history as a major global
   port in the 18th and 19th Centuries, when it played a significant role in the
   growth of the British Empire
 * It was a hub for the mass movement of people, including migrants from Europe
   to America, and had a key role in the transatlantic slave trade
 * Liverpool was one of about 30 World Heritage Sites in the UK, along with
   Stonehenge and the Giant's Causeway
 * After World War Two, the city's Royal Albert Dock became the largest single
   collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the country



Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also
send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk


AUSTRALIA ANGERED BY GREAT BARRIER REEF REPORT


PROPOSAL TO REMOVE WORLD HERITAGE STATUS 'PAINFUL'


LIVERPOOL SET TO LOSE WORLD HERITAGE STATUS


FEARS LIVERPOOL MAY LOSE WORLD HERITAGE STATUS


EVERTON CLEARED TO BUILD NEW £500M STADIUM


IN PICTURES: THE WORLD'S NEW HERITAGE SITES

Unesco World Heritage sites
Unesco
Liverpool

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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