Liverpool loses UNESCO World Heritage status
The World Heritage Committee decided to remove Liverpool from the Word Heritage List due to the irreversible loss of attributes conveying the value of the property through development.
Liverpool was inscribed on the list in 2004 for bearing witness to the development of one of the world’s major trading centres in the 18th and 19th centuries and illustrating pioneering developments in modern dock technology, transport systems and management.
However, the city was placed on the World Heritage in Danger list in 2012 following concerns about the proposed development of Liverpool Waters, which has since gone ahead along with other developments both inside the site and in its buffer zone.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, said: ‘I’m hugely disappointed and concerned by this decision to delete Liverpool’s World Heritage status, which comes a decade after UNESCO last visited the city to see it with their own eyes. Our World Heritage site has never been in better condition having benefitted from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment across dozens of listed buildings and the public realm.
‘We will be working with Government to examine whether we can appeal but, whatever happens, Liverpool will always be a World Heritage city. We have a stunning waterfront and incredible built heritage that is the envy of other cities.
‘Our commitment to maintaining and improving our buildings remains as strong as ever and will continue to be a key part of our drive to attract visitors, along with leisure, retail and events.’
The mayor claims to have written to the committee prior to the decision, asking them to defer the decision and visit the city to resolve the issue.
The decision was made following a secret ballot at the 44th session of the UNESCO committee in China.
Liverpool becomes the third site to lose its World Heritage Status since the list began in 1978, after Oman’s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany lost their status in 2007 and 2009 respectively.
In related news, residents and businesses are invited to give feedback on Liverpool’s Local Plan, which sets out how the city will meet the challenges of a rising population.
Photo by Marcus Cramer