Regenerating Liverpool I

I’ve just spent 3 days in Liverpool with colleagues from inner east Belfast who are part of the Inner East Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership. We have had a fascinating insight into how this famous city is seeking to regenerate itself. It certainly needs it.

I didn’t find it a visually attractive city. There are a whole mix of architectural style and no clearly defined centre. Part of the confusion of styles may be to do with the lack of cash for restoration in the immediate post-war period leading to all sorts of shoddy design and substandard construction.Deprivation is evident even in the shopping areas, in fact a 150 year old retail institution across from our hotel went into receivership while we were there. As one of our number noted, the classic indicators of retail decline were everywhere: tanning shops (including one near Anfield called Tan-erife!!), hairdressers and nail boutiques (as in fingernails not hammer and….).

There is a real battle going on at the moment in relation to the Council’s plans for urban renewal. Their plans are retail led in the city centre (the Paradise Project) and housing led in the neighbourhoods. This has led to massive traffic disruption in the city centre, hitting the already struggling retailers. And anger in many communities and among the conservationist lobby because of the numbers of traditional Victorian terraces being demolished.

That said, the city seems to be winning. The skyline is dominated by cranes and the residents we met were certainly positive about the changes, even those who were losing their homes in favour of new dwellings. And of course the people themselves showed us incredible hospitality and friendliness. And with that as a base there is always hope.

I want to post a few reflections about our time there.