5 Comments
Jul 26, 2021Liked by SevenStreets

Thank you for writing this and providing the photographic evidence of neglect and seemingly arrogant disregard for our wellbeing shown by Liverpool City Council and those with whom they have chosen to do business over many years, despite frequent and patient reminders to do better from UNESCO and many others closer to home. I’ve walked a similar route to this with my partner and we were astounded with the lack of appreciation for the river made by planners. On the ground floor level, a culture of cafes, green spaces and interesting interactions should have been encouraged. Instead, we have a bleak blandness which caters for seagulls and Martin Parr (although he’d probably have to photoshop in actual people).

I hope many people read this honest article and that those responsible for us losing our World Heritage Site status wake up, get out, look, listen and smell the detritus.

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Jul 27, 2021Liked by SevenStreets

Thank you for drawing attention to what actually was the problem. The councils #NoLabelsNeeded-response was not just arrogant, but deeply embarrassing. Imagine one of the football clubs posting #No Trophies Needed after not making the Premier League. Would be kind of silly, wouldn't it?

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Jul 26, 2021Liked by SevenStreets

Thank you. Excellent.

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Aug 2, 2021Liked by SevenStreets

I believe that the office buildings on the river front were built pre WHS. To me, those really just reflect the ambition of the time (ie little to none) across the UK.

Tellingly, RBS moved out of one of those and "consolidated" their staff away from the city into locations that have forward planned. The office was too remote with not enough space to grow, is probably about the sum of it.

The waterfront is wasted at the moment, and actually undeveloped rather than over. The social housing block, one of the towers, and the awful new red brick building opposite Waterloo are the only real affronts. Unfortunately, there's not much else!

If the city deserved to lose WHS, I think there are far more appropriate reasons than the waterfront! Embarrassingly for UNESCO, though, none of those reasons came into it.

No one is going to judge the city's custodians more critically than us as residents, and no one has more power to end their misadventures. But when election turnout goes below 20% in some cases, it's clear it's the city's population that is the weak link in this regard. Fix that and I think we would fix a lot of things.

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Jul 28, 2021Liked by SevenStreets

A few minutes' walk from the banal buildings that make up Princes Dock is a great little brewery and tap room called Carnival. Little pockets of quirky independent culture exist in the area - https://carnivalbrewing.me/

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