CITY
Site
Archive
February 2004
As reported earlier last week by DL, the L1/Baltic area of the
city is hotting up: news now follows of Windsor Developments' £40m
development of 300 apartments at the former Heaps Mill in Wapping [go]
At a time when investor confidence in Liverpool is so high, and the need
to repopulate and 'up' the density is required local councillors are quite
right to aspire for affordable apartments in the same model.
Prof Michael Parkinson's report into 15 midsize European cities [go]
suggests that Liverpool and the other Northern cities still have a long
way to go.
Prof Parkinson claims that poor international transport links are one
of the drawbacks to city growth for Liverpool.
You can download the full report [450k pdf file] by clicking here
London
Rd is looking up
Historically
downtown's garment district, the London Road neighbourhood [L3] could
be about to undergo a tremendous revival.
London Road, Liverpool
This
incredibly vibrant and dynamic area has been neglected, though it is still
bubbling along, giving testimony to it's inherent viability. DL are helping
to develop a number of conceptual approaches to reviving the area...look
out for more news soon!
Work
has started in Tithebarn Street at CitySquare, a £20m 6 story
office development for completion 2005 and the new home of the Liverpool
Civil Courts.
CitySquare, Liverpool
credit: Shephard
Developments
Top of the World?...oh maybe not!
Welcome news that the Liverpool Housing Action Trust are to submit a planning
application to refurbish and add an extra three floors to three existing
tower blocks around Sefton Park in the south of the city.
This follows the successful, and very popular, conversion in 2003 of Brompton
and Sydenham House into refurbished social housing and top floor penthouses.
Concern however that anti-tall building lobbying in this 'conservation
area' may result in the planning application being resubmitted for just
one additional floor.
The result? almost 90 less people living downtown, over £8.4m
lost in revenue for LHAT, over £27k, PER ANNUM, lost in council
tax revenue.
What price 'heritage'?
The Housing Design Awards 2003
touring exhibition is to come to Liverpool at CUBE Wood St from the 16.03.04-
09.04.04.
Old
Haymarket
credit: Urban Splash
Let's hope the lessons learned at commended schemes in the HDA 2004, including
Old Haymarket in Liverpool, [above] are applied in the ongoing development
of Liverpool's desperately under-supplied housing market.
DOWNTOWN
Downtown
cannot live on shops alone
Williamson Square
Coming soon, a new retail opportunity in Williamson Square.
What? No apartments on the upper floors? Does the developer not know that
city-centre living is booming? [go]
Why would they forgo the opportunity to make more money? Could there be
another reason for the lack of residential.. like it not being appropriate
in 'the retail zone'?
Does Barcelona do this?
Making
a great downtown. YOU can do it too!
As DL constantly highlight, getting together to network, organise and
lobby
for downtown growth is the surest way to success.
Here, artists in
NYC's East Village are making sure that their industry is contributing
ideas for downtown growth in their own particular way...They are organised
and effective!
Call
or e-mail DL if you would
like to discuss with us starting your own downtown initiative.
Just
2 of the many interesting sites
that remind us of Liverpool's strong brand outside of the UK:
- A chain of department stores in
Mexico
- A restaurant in San
Francisco
New
downtown network for 2008 A
new initiative by National Museums Liverpool invite business to get involved
in developing NML's programmes for the Capital of Culture year. Membership
gives some really interesting benifits. For more info e-mail Cathy
Meadows.
Time
to lobby for more diverse downtown residential Communities
News that the 'New
Heartlands' project (to renew inner-city districts by building over
1,600 houses in mixed tenure neighbourhoods) has been given the go ahead.
Downtown can only be the beating heart of a vital bigger entity! Some
good ideas
to take out to the inner neighbourhoods
here.
Fruit
and Veg traders, Bold St, Liverpool
DL aim to ensure that a more sustainable community base, built on support
facilities, business and cultural opportunities, is developed downtown.
The success in landing the Heartlands project should enable strategists
to now hone in on the city centre...Intensify and diversify!
Bye-bye
Ring Road?
Recent statements as to the 'appropriate' way that development should
face onto the Strand and Leeds St gives us hope that similar attitudes
will be taken to the rest of the 'Inner Ring Road'
Islington. Nth central
Liverpool
looking Sth
Always a bad
idea for Downtown, having a motorway cutting it up, we will hopefully
see the problems on Islington, Hunter/Byrom St, Norton St etc being
addressed in similar fashion!
Thanks
to everyone who attended the public meeting on the 13th Jan addressing
the Colquitt Street development.
Liverpool Echo go>
New Start Magazine go>
COMMENT
'Downtown
Week' to really get the party going
Celebrate
downtown (and increase business!) by helping us in our campaign to establish
an annual 'Downtown Week' starting in 2004.
DL will be highlighting benefits for downtown of
designating a week
so. We hope that the downtown community will
work together under this umbrella to make a fantastic week of downtown
focused events, festivals and other business and community initiatives.
Please contact us if you
are interested in helping us make something happen.
Suite 222
Martins Bank Building
Water Street
Liverpool
L2 3SP
United Kingdom
info@downtownliverpool.org
mobile: 07951 049 095