Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City

a) Urban pressure;

b) New construction in the area surrounding the site.

In response to concern about proposals for the construction of a ‘Fourth Grace’ building on the Pier Head waterfront, the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session had recommended that the national authorities pay particular attention to monitoring the processes of change in the World Heritage areas and their surroundings in order not to adversely impact the property, and had requested that the State Party assures proper height for any new constructions, respect the qualities of the historic area, and that they complement the historic buildings.

A significant number of letters have been received at the World Heritage Centre from private citizens and community groups on new developments which were transmitted to the State Party for comments and to ICOMOS for review. At the time of preparation of this report, there has been no response from the State Party.

The concerns expressed included a scheme for a new extension to the Museum in 2005. This is a large, asymmetrical building, sited just to the south of the three Graces and projecting forward from them towards the River Mersey. This proposal was given planning permission in December 2005. The design has attracted some adverse comments locally for its prominent setting and dominant form and for its impact on the Three Graces and the River Mersey waterfront. Two further building projects are now being considered which could also have an adverse impact. The first is a tall tower at Central Station. The second is a group of three large buildings on the waterfront just to the south of the proposed new Museum on Mann Island. There is also a scheme for a new canal along the waterfront.

The thrust of the World Heritage Committee statement for the Pier Head was that any new buildings should not seek to challenge the dominance of the existing Three Graces but rather should complement them and the overall historic quarter. ICOMOS does not consider that the proposed museum building follows this recommendation. Its slanting and sliding monolithic form has been designed to be seen. The massive scale and asymmetry of its components dwarfs the rhythmic architectural detail of the Three Graces, even though the proposed building is much lower.

Liverpool as a port city is a remarkable survival, complete with many docks, waterfront buildings, warehouses, and commercial and cultural centres. It is now thriving as a future European Capital of Culture and there is great enthusiasm for re-development in and around the World Heritage site. A large number of development projects are currently being considered.

When the site was nominated, it was accompanied by a management plan, which set out the framework for future development. That does not seem to have been translated into detailed development plans for discrete areas of the city. Currently there is no master plan for the waterfront, for instance. Nor have any of the proposed buildings now being considered emerged from agreed design briefs. All major development schemes within the World Heritage site should emerge from a structured process that sets out the constraints and context, as well as desired spatial improvements within an agreed brief.