X-rated
News that more than 1 in 6 of the total building stock in WHS has been deemed as 'inappropriate' and therefore earmarked for demolition or refurbishment.

What criteria will be used for 'inappropriate'?
Who will pay for the Compulsory Purchase Orders?

For more on the so-called X-listing [see Telegraph]


The Right Track
On a brighter note, well done LCC for the smart and MODERN pedestrian signage popping up all over downtown from the chaps who designed the Bristol Legible City signage. [link]

Clayton Square Video Screen
Have you seen the BBC's new screen in Clayton Square yet? The sheer size of it is so impressive. It reminds us all that SCALE is the defining attribute of great cities that makes them so intoxicating and unique.

World Heritage City -you better believe it!
Even the DCMS think WHS is just the Pierhead [link]
Has ANYBODY actually read the management plan, or even just looked at the map that shows the true extent of the grossly over-extended site and buffer zone?

'Museumization'
Interesting spin on the dangers of 'over preservation' in cities, BY THE EXPERTS! Wonder what they are thinking of Liverpool's choice?
League of Historical Cities

I. M. Pei Gets Stuck in Suzhou
New museum in Suzhou (WHS site) caused uproar…and look at the lengths taken to make the building 'in keeping'…still wasn't enough, despite their signature architect - sounds familiar?

Can you imagine every planning application in downtown Liverpool now going before this long drawn out process?...bet developers will be rushing to go through the process! Interesting turn of events at the end.

Quality Counts
Not every building that goes up in a city needs to make a major design statement but building 'quality' is always important.


Prescot Street

Some of the more recent developments in town, like these new flats in Prescot Street are already showing their age [check out the timber cladding..] despite builders still being on-site! And next time you're downtown check out the blockwork on the facade of the new apartments in Colquitt St adjacent to FACT....

Come on Liverpool -Wake up!
Only £18m it appears this week came between Alsop's fourth grace being realised, this is the money required by the public sector to ensure Kings Dock was delivered.

At about the same time as the news of the demise of the fourth grace last week, Mancunians learnt that UK Govt would not give them the £520m to build three new metrolink tram extensions.

In that time massive banners have been hung from their town hall, and the public response led the M.E.N editor to state: 'I have never known so many businesses, councilors and newspaper readers come together on an issue so quickly'

Can we not therefore raise a whimper or perhaps even the £18m in the city to give us our landmark building for a 21st century Manhattan on the Mersey?

[or is it building heights not bucks that counts..]

Great Spaces make Great Downtowns
We have the new Cathedral Piazza, Exchange Flags, Clayton Square's Big Telly. All make their contribution to building the outdoor element of our cityscape.


credit: Aluna Ltd. [click2enlarge]

Now that we're back to square one for 4th Grace, one of the initial proposals was just to make a great space so check out La Vilette, or why not La Luna : and grab Wirral's Aluna moonclock whilst their political mandarins vacillate [alunatime.org]

Not that the Wirral's business community is vacillating with news that a consortium representing the site of the former Cammell Laird's shipyard are in talks with Will Alsop to bring the Cloud to Birkenhead.

Good for them, now go and create a skyline to rival downtown's. Check out Shanghai's skyline opposite the Bund for a glimpse of what could be. [link]

Going UP
The planning application has just gone in for the stupendous Brunswick Quay tower in the south docks designed by Ian Simpson. After the debacle of the Fourth Grace if you want to ensure we don't lose this beautiful building, worthy of the waterfront, why not email your SUPPORT as it enters planning?
ian simpson architects
maro developments


Coming Down?
News that regeneration quango English Partnerships has acquired Lime Street Concourse tower. If it really wishes to achieve 'value for money' in this deal can we ensure they cost recladding and extension rather than demolition. We need more height in the city - not less.

Diminishing City?
The slender towers that could make The Commercial District truly stunning will likely not appear as a result of the forthcoming (anti) tall building policy. See plans for the commercial district displayed on Liverpool Vision's website. Please make time to download and read the pdf files.

For such a prime site, we must surely think much bigger than just 12 stories for the 'icon'. If these are the true plans we are severely disappointed. If you need any more convincing of Liverpool's perilous 'diminishment' check out the Emporis website and compare us against ongoing development in Glasgow, London, Manchester...

We have also noticed that the Kings Dock arena is also shrinking. What started out as an insufficient 12k, then 10k is now being touted in some programmes as 8-9,000... What's going on? We really do need to wake up you know!

ps: Where did Madonna sing at the weekend?

Unity Taking Shape
Rumford Investments' stunning new twin towers in downtown are taking shape.


Unity/Sentinel Chapel Street, Liverpool
credit: Knight Frank link
[click to enlarge]

Add a couple more towers in the neighbourhood and this would make a staggering metropolitan area worthy of the waterfront. More please!

When culture becomes history
Organisers of the battle of the bands are to be congratulated by highlighting the obsession elements within the city have with the Beatles and that Beatles covers and tribute bands would not be entertained in future competitions [glasswerk]
Imagine if we insisted on doing the same with music, art and drama etc that we have recently imposed on architecture!!! Although, it doesn’t look like we are going to get a chance if THIS is how we are flogged around the world!

That’s just the job
A new downtown based development company is being established. Liverpool business investing in Liverpool potential gives the city more long term stability. Well done. Major development is to be announced by the new company soon (more)

More from icliverpool
A major new centre dedicated to the horrors of Slavery (and Liverpool’s central role in it) is being planned as a possible new facility for 2008. There should be many more facilities that are international in impact, as surely THAT is Liverpool’s best and main story?

On that note what about Grant Luscombe’s idea of a Crystal Palace for downtown to house the city’s genuinely internationally important orchid collection?
or Tony Wilson’s centre for ‘pop culture’ proposal?
The International Genealogy Centre ?
Larry Nield’s excellent Museum of the America’s proposal ?
A museum of world civilisation and culture…the list goes on…but why didn’t they happen?

Still…we feel that Mann Island should be developed as a world class urban park…decision on what idea our NGO’s and cultural ‘gurus’ think should go there is due some time next week…should be fun…remember the Sir Bob Scott memorial table proposal?