Liverpool celebrated the great news that the city has retained its World Heritage Status, with The World Heritage Committee formally approving the status at their annual summit in Bahrain.
The World Heritage Committee has accepted a recommendation by UNESCO and heritage body ICOMOS that Liverpool is not deleted from the World Heritage list.
The decision recognises the collaborative work of Liverpool City Council, Government, Historic England and Peel Holdings, which resulted in a new Desired State of Conservation Report (DSOCR) describing the corrective measures Liverpool is proposing to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of its World Heritage site.
The DSOCR focused on the main issue of how Liverpool needs to balance its projected population and economic growth over the next 15 years, which will see the creation of 35,000 homes and 30,000 jobs, while protecting its World Heritage site.
Mayor Joe Anderson said “Liverpool’s maritime heritage is a fundamental part of our city, our history, and our culture offering to attract visitors. We are, rightly, very proud of our heritage and its contribution to our tourism economy.
The DSOCR report shows in great detail the lengths Liverpool has already gone and will continue to go, to balance the needs of a growing city whilst protecting our World Heritage Status. This is a delicate task and involves all the major city stakeholders working together to understand very specific planning issues and creating solutions that works for the city and UNESCO.”
The World Heritage site consists of six areas in the City Centre and the Docklands, including some of the city’s most famous buildings. Areas included are The Pier Head, The Royal Albert Dock, The Stanley Dock Conservation Area, The Commercial District (Castle Street/Dale Street/Old Hall Street), The William Brown Street Culture Quarter and Lower Duke Street. There is also a “Buffer Zone” which includes most of the City Centre and all its Mersey waterfront. The Zone also includes the area between Parliament Street in the South and Leeds Street in the North, with Hope Street and Great Newtown Street forming the eastern boundary.
