Downtown
Organisation,
46 Rodney Street
Liverpool L1 9AA UK
An independent, non-political organisation, working towards the creation
of an exhilarating, metropolitan, 21st century Liverpool
info@downtownliverpool.org
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March 14th 2005
Liverpool eDigest
Hello
Downtowners,
Well, its been a rather hectic month or so, what with the consultation
on the (anti)tall buildings policy proposal and a number of other very
controversial downtown planning issues to distract us all. They will have
a profound effect on how downtown grows in future so we shall endeavour
to keep you as informed as we can. Links in this e-digest will also enable
you to keep further up to date yourselves.
On a brighter note, despite the first vote going against formalising our
first Business Improvement District, early
indications show that the large majority of local entrepreneurs support
it. More below.
The
tourist/visitor season starts early this year, Easter being in March,
and downtown is gearing up for another year of continued growth and improvement
in its offer. This e-digest concentrates on the business, culture and
downtown vibrancy that is central to maintaining this growth. To our many
subscribers beyond Liverpool we would strongly
urge you to visit the city this year, especially if you haven't been before.
Everyone should, of course, remember that 5th-12th
June is Downtown Week, so put something on or even just simply
get downtown during the week and encourage everyone you know to do so
too.
Downtown
Going for the BID?
As mentioned above, business' within the 'City
Central BID' zone voted on the 11th March whether to proceed with
the current BID pilot in the Church St area and formalise it. The proposal
was defeated
though only in the 'aggregate rateable value' poll (smacks of
'Old Labour' block votes?). The 'one to one' vote was actually in favour
of proceeding with the BID.
It
is because business interests run them that BIDs can
be so effective. We think that you know where we stand on quango
initiatives and the generally bogus 'Partnerships'.... but BID's
are not 'Gold-Zones', or anything of the sort. BIDs are fundamentally
different.
Another poll will be made (should
be in around 3 months). If this is positive then the BID model
could be rolled out across other downtown districts as well as
major centres across the city. So it is in the interests of ALL downtowners
to encourage support in the next poll.
For a more in-depth article on the Liverpool BID check
out our website.
See also how BID's are helping to
revive downtown's in the
U. K. and internationally.
 Paradise Project Visitor Centre Lord Street |
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Inspiring tomorrow's downtowners
1
Liverpool Vision and Grosvenor are also both taking part this week in
a series of walks, talks and presentations for local school children in
a CABE financed project being run in conjunction with other major
downtown players.
Inspiring tomorrow's downtowners 2
The
Prince's Trust have just announced this year's budget and have said
that they can help 600+ young
entrepreneurs throughout the city-region. Excellent news from an exemplary
organisation.
Not letting the grass grow under
their feet
Having only recently reported on the decision to progress the new Centre
for Design, we find out that Liverpool John Moores University have
commissioned the architects
and are moving swiftly on with delivery! Wow!
Inspiration or perspiration -
publications galore
We would remind downtowners to get hold of the latest development update
(no-12) from Liverpool Vision. it is packed with information on
current and proposed developments, as well as lots of extra downtown goodies,
including news on a new ferry terminal (no, not the cruise-liner 'facility'),
Townscape Heritage Initiative and Merseyside Property Forum's take on
the future of downtown. Download
it from their site or ring them up on 0151 707 8007 and get them to send
you one...its well worth it!
Issue 2 of LIVERPOOL - Business
in the Capital (Newliverpool?) is also worth getting hold of. Not as anodyne
as the usual 'public'
publications, there are a number of really 'business friendly' and interesting
articles. We
found them on the LV website too...well done!
Download the latest Business
in Liverpool brochure now
Of course, the VERY BEST Scouse business
intelligence for downtown and across the metropolis is available in
each Monday's Liverpool Echo or every Wednesday in the
Daily Post: Business Week. They also produce the quarterly 'Vision'
magazine as well as the ever improving 'Space' mag. Whilst we're singing
the praises of LDP&E we should give our final reminder that the Liverpool
Echo's Enterprise
Champions Awards deadline for entries is April 4th...so get in there!
Stopping the bigots
City police are holding an open meeting to enable the Gay and Lesbian
community to
build links, comment upon and, hopefully, improve tactics being developed
to tackle Gay hate crimes. Meeting is on 23rd March at the Armisted Centre,
Musker Buildings in downtown Stanley St, starts 7.30.
Money for new rope
An international poll to determine a new list of '7 Modern Wonders'
has ben established. Not unbelievably the Liver building is heading the
early lists, but we think that the dock system, which was a true modern
world wonder would be more appropriate to represent our mighty metropolis.
Vote for your favourite (there is
actually a charge to register...now THERE'S an idea!)
Hiding your bushel under a light
Especially warming with regards to downtown's ever increasing range of
activities are the growing number of small, private or niche initiatives
that are the life essence of any worthwhile downtown. There are way too
many to mention them all, but a few typical examples include the superb
events currently happening at the Loop
Gallery and Liverpool
University Gallery, both excellent examples of downtown's hidden gems,
as is the ultra cool watering hole for creatives, the
3345. Also, there is an ever expanding series of events
at Quiggins.
Alas, we're a little too old to know much about this
stuff [www.outlar.com] but Capital of Culture? It runs through
our metropolitan veins. Please keep an eye out in the local press and
main websites for other individual activities.
It's the people wot wun it!
Perhaps the Culture Company could remember that, although we must say
that this
IS a good idea from the Culture Co.
Some help
please?
We are working on two new sections for the downtown site with which
you could help us.
One section aims to highlight the downtown groups,
clubs and social activities that downtowners could join so as to help
build up a real downtown community. If you know of any such regular and/or
permanent groups then please let us know and we will add them to the list?
The other is a call for visualisations of
potential developments that would improve downtown...as they say, 'a picture
paints a thousand words'! We have a few contributions already lined up,
but the more the better.
Also - consider sponsoring this newsletter
[rates]
so we can continue to write and get this to you for FREE,
5th-12th June 2005
City
We kid ye not
We should not kid ourselves, like some of our local quangos seem
to have done, that Liverpool's recent merry upsurge is the done deal.
Brash and outrageous statements like the one recently disgorged by GONW's
Objective 1 team would have us believe that because the city-region
has finally lifted itself a little off the very lowest ranking of poverty
in Europe we are now "back in the Premier league" Nonsense!
To continue the football analogy it is, rather, as if we have finally
just got back into the local district amateur league after sinking all
the way down to pub team level! More appropriate, maybe, for a city that
once ruled world trade, would be to simply state that the return
journey has only just begun, but that it HAS begun!
Utilising
the appropriate expertise
Another reminder that opportunities for entrepreneurs to help shape economic
policy are available. Part of a nationwide initiative, the 'City
Growth Liverpool' strategy team want entrepreneurs to help shape future
economic and investment strategies in the city. For more info email
the team or call them on 0151 233 5428. Our city's renaissance can truly
take off in a spectacular way, but to do so your input
is essential.
Metropolis
Think
'Bay Area'!
Ways to market visitor
attractions and quality
of life across the Bay Area as well as forge deeper links across a whole
number of areas are currently being explored. The City, the Bay, the wilderness,
beaches, ancient history and sheer beauty, variety and range of attractions
is unbeatable and there are huge dividends to be had from taking a 'Bay
Area' perspective.
But,
maybe, don't drink the water
One of the most under-utilised assets we have in the metropolis is, of
course, the wonderful maritime, waterfront environment. From transport
and leisure through to sustainable energy production and waterside living,
we haven't even begun to realise it's potential. With this in mind however,
we don't really know how to present the strange goings on in the
Mersey reported by DEFRA recently
...so ... just read
these articles
for yourselves?
Tuppence
to cross the Mersey?
If only! It now looks as if tolls on the two Mersey
Tunnels are with us in perpetuity. The rank unfairness
of having to pay to get downtown from one half of the city in the first
place has been compounded by the stated intention of using the monies
taken as income and cross-subsidy, rather than as debt repayment only.
The tolls where established (way back in the 1930s') solely to pay the
debt incurred by construction.
Would any major cross-Dee link have to be toll financed too? Is
there a similar situation anywhere else in the Country? Is it yet another
imposed barrier to us having a level playing field with our competitor
cities? Or is it actually advantageous for the metropolis to have this
source of income, unavailable to our competitor cities, to help improve
metro-wide public transport infrastructure? What do downtowners think?
email us
Front
step in Everton that Frankie Vaughn's Nan used to scrub to be nominated
for WHS?
It could happen. News reaches us that Port Sunlight trustees and
Wirral MBC are preparing
a bid for World Heritage Status. Just gets more and more bizarre.
So, in order to celebrate our metropolitan collection of (tongue in cheek) thoroughly deserving potential World Heritage sites, we invite downtowners to nominate their favourite; one that would obviously be otherwise overlooked by UNESCO. We will pass on the list to the UN and the winner will get something that we decide is most appropriate.
National/international
A quick tour around North America, where cities are undergoing spectacular revivals, shows how it is the multiple impact of BIDs and other initiatives, a re-awakening of the understanding of the value of downtowns as wealth-producing places amongst entrepreneurs and corporate giants, but most importantly the individuals and creative groups that is making them work again. No single initiative or action is solely responsible - complexity rules!
'Regeneration news' is not enough and one of the functions that City Central BID and Liverpool City Council should support are wider ranging 'info' and 'lifestyle' publications as they do in St Louis - Philadelphia - Columbus - Baltimore - Atlanta - San Francisco etc.
Staying
with super sexy mercantile/maritime San
Francisco we couldn't help but notice how they are tackling
problems that seem beyond us as well as offering business services
to a level that we are yet to reach.
Note to Liverpool Chamber of Commerce - it is only in other thriving
commercial CITIES that
we have lessons to learn and valuable contacts to make, so can we have
metro-entrpreneurs instead of national chamber reps from now on?
Note to LCC, see what strategies SF's chamber is invited to help
shape?
Los Angeles and San
Diego have dedicated downtown newspapers. An original part of our
business plan that we would like to see happen...more news soon.
Downtown is the cultural heart and manifestation of every vibrant metropolis. Everyone, organisations and individuals, must appreciate and exploit downtown to the MAX!
This one's a belter! Again, from Lower Manhattan - no concerns here about 'too much density' they realise that to have a great cultural city you need it...shall we get them over to do the cultural/residential mix on Kings Dock?!!
Finally, a reminder that June is a good month in downtown Liverpool for urban events, Architecture Week, Downtown Week amongst them. Take a look at this
End Piece
Just
how low do you go?
There is a serious side to the whole World Heritage Site debacle,
of which the above report is but one example.
WHS was established in order to secure for future generations the preservation
of sites and ancient monuments of the utmost global significance. To be
preserved, in their setting and their archeology kept intact, the emphasis
was to maintain their unique integrity.
Just how can we protect sites of genuine global importance, like the Pyramids and Angkor once tight preservation and impact restrictions are diluted to accommodate relatively insignificant places like Port Sunlight (or even, dare we say, Dale St)?
UNESCO should be extremely cautious about losing the value of the whole WHS programme. Are they truly prepared to be inundated by a rag-tag of requests to designate utterly inappropriate schemes WHS by local authorities just looking for some 'PR worth' or a 'badge', in the wake of the mercantile/maritime city's acceptance?
We feel that the whole initiative should use a list and star list system similar to that ran by English Heritage, where sites like the Pyramids would be grade 1 listed and rigidly protected, and places like Liverpool's nominated district would be a lower, grade 2 'celebratory designation' or rating that would not carry all of the tight archeological preservationist obligations and measures needed to properly protect the highest graded sites. Problem solved? We are writing to UNESCO with this suggestion. In the meantime, what do you think?
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