A masterplan aimed at transforming the epicentre of Liverpool’s musical heritage has been approved.
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet has today (Friday, 6 March) approved a Spatial Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the Cavern Quarter, including Mathew Street – home of the world-famous music venues the Cavern Club and Eric’s, and nearby Williamson Square.
The SRF contains a range of recommendations to help attract new investment, celebrate the current music scene and to enable the council to steer the future use of existing buildings in the area.
The document aims to address a tourism report that called for the city to curate a clearer proposition around Liverpool’s pivotal role in the story of popular and contemporary music.
A UNESCO City of Music, Liverpool’s music heritage industry – which is centred around The Beatles – is now worth more than £90m a year, but the tourism report found visitors are increasingly looking for a quality experiential visit.
The Cavern Quarter/Williamson Square SRF was the subject of a five-week public consultation and following today’s approval it will be used to guide all future planning applications within the area.
The SRF, which will be uploaded to the council’s website on Monday, will eventually become a Supplementary Planning Document when Liverpool’s Local Plan is formally adopted in autumn 2020.
The city council’s cabinet also approved a SRF for the Upper Central area of the city centre, which focuses around Lime Street.
Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company, which represents 1,500 businesses in Liverpool city centre, and chair of the Liverpool Visitor Economy Network (LVEN), said:
“Visitors from across the globe come to Liverpool to steep themselves in its musical heritage. As a city, part of our job is to give that culture and heritage the stage and setting it deserves, making it as welcoming as possible. Public spaces are vital for a healthy and vibrant city centre. This is great news for Liverpool’s visitor economy, for the businesses who work and operate on a daily basis in this destination and for music lovers who want to celebrate the city’s legend.”
Visit www.regeneratingliverpool.com
