# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 2 # ( */(. 34/.!2$ 4HE (ISTORIC %NVIRONMENT OF ,IVERPOOL 0ROJECT ,IVERPUDLIANS HAVE DEEP EMOTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH THEIR HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT 4HE (%,0 PROJECT IS ENGAGING THEM IN THE PROCESS OF HERITAGE LED REGENERATION ,IVERPOOL IS ENGULFED IN A PERIOD OF DRAMATIC CHANGE !FTER DECADES OF ECONOMIC DECLINE AND A SUSTAINED PROCESS OF DEPOPULATION ON A SCALE THAT HAS NOT BEEN WITNESSED BY ANY OTHER %UROPEAN CITY IN LIVING MEMORY THE TIDE HAS ONCE MORE STARTED TO TURN FOR THIS ONCE GREAT SEAPORT #RANES ARE AGAIN A FAMILIAR FEATURE ON THE CITY S SKYLINE 4HIS TIME THEY ARE NOT IN THE DOCKS BUT IN THE CITY CENTRE MEETING THE GROWING DEMAND FOR NEW OFFICES APARTMENTS AND SHOPS 0RIVATE INVESTMENT IS POURING INTO THE CITY A NEW LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM HAS JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED AND ,IVERPOOL 6ISION THE 5+ S FIRST URBAN REGENERATION COMPANY IS PROMOTING A NUMBER OF LANDMARK DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDING THE &OURTH 'RACE 4HE CURRENT ECONOMIC RESURGENCE BRINGS EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGENERATION AND A RENEWED PROSPERITY BUT ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF UNKNOWINGLY LOSING THE VERY THINGS THAT MAKE ,IVERPOOL SO SPECIAL -OST PEOPLE OUTSIDE ,IVERPOOL ARE FAMILIAR WITH A NUMBER OF ITS ICONIC STRUCTURES THE BUILDINGS OF THE 0IER (EAD THE !LBERT $OCK 3T 'EORGE S (ALL OR THE TWO CATHEDRALS BUT THESE PROVIDE MERELY A TASTE OF THE CITY S HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL WEALTH &OR WHILE MANY PROVINCIAL CITIES EMBARKED UPON RADICAL CLEARANCE AND REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE TH CENTURY ,IVERPOOL S ECONOMIC MISFORTUNES PREVENTED MANY OF ITS PLANS FROM BEING IMPLEMENTED #ONSEQUENTLY THE CITY RETAINS A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE BUILT FABRIC CONSTRUCTED DURING ITS HEYDAY 4HE RICH HISTORICAL LEGACY BEQUEATHED TO CONTEMPORARY ,IVERPOOL RAISES A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT ISSUES 7ITHIN THE CITY CENTRE THERE IS CONSIDERABLE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE BRINGING WITH IT NOT ONLY THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS BUT ALSO THE PROSPECT OF SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATIONS TO THE CHARACTER OF SOME OF THE COUNTRY S MOST OUTSTANDING AREAS OF TH CENTURY TOWNSCAPE 7HILE DEVELOPER INTEREST HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY THE SCALE OF ,IVERPOOL S DECLINE IS SUCH THAT IT WILL TAKE A CONSIDERABLE PERIOD OF RECOVERY COMPLETELY TO TRANSFORM THE CITY S FORTUNES -ANY PROBLEMS REMAIN )N OUTLYING AREAS AND POCKETS OF THE CITY CENTRE THE ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE REMAINS LOW AND THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT IS SHOWING THE RESULTS OF DECADES OF UNDER INVESTMENT )N RECENT YEARS SEVERAL PROMINENT BUILDINGS HAVE PASSED THE POINT OF NO RETURN AND HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED AS DANGEROUS STRUCTURES !T THE END OF A GROUP OF STAFF DRAWN FROM ACROSS %NGLISH (ERITAGE MET TO PREPARE A RESPONSE TO THE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY ,IVERPOOL S HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT 4HE TIMING WAS CRUCIAL AS IT PRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT INTO PRACTICE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED 0OWER OF 0LACE 4HE RESULT WAS THE (ISTORIC %NVIRONMENT OF ,IVERPOOL 0ROJECT AN EXCITING AND WIDE RANGING PROGRAMME OF INTER LINKED PROJECTS DESIGNED TO ENSURE THAT THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN BUILDING THE CITY S FUTURE 3IR .EIL #OSSONS AND #OUNCILLOR -IKE 3TOREY LEADER OF ,IVERPOOL #ITY #OUNCIL LAUNCHED (%,0 IN -ARCH !T THE PROJECT S HEART LIES THE PIONEERING PARTNERSHIP THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BETWEEN %NGLISH (ERITAGE ,IVERPOOL #ITY #OUNCIL AND ,IVERPOOL6ISION WITH SUPPORT FROM THE .ORTH 7EST $EVELOPMENT !GENCY AND .ATIONAL -USEUMS AND 'ALLERIES ON -ERSEYSIDE !LTHOUGH IT WAS INITIALLY DEVELOPED AND PROMOTED BY %NGLISH (ERITAGE THE VARIOUS AGENCIES HAVE COME TOGETHER THROUGH (%,0 TO MAKE A VERY PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO HERITAGE LED REGENERATION AND ARE PLAYING AN ACTIVE ROLE IN DELIVERING THE PROGRAMME !T PRESENT THE (%,0 INITIATIVE CONTAINS INDIVIDUAL PROJECT ELEMENTS DIVIDED INTO THREE BROAD THEMES (%,0 WAS DEVELOPED AS A RESPONSE TO SPECIFIC LOCAL NEEDS SO A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF PLACE IS CRUCIAL TO ITS SUCCESS 4HE FIRST SET OF PROJECTS IS PRIMARILY ABOUT THE GATHERING AND ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH MATERIAL 4HESE TRY TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS s 7HAT HAVE WE GOT s (OW MUCH IS THERE s 7HAT IS ITS SIGNIFICANCE s (OW DO PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT IT 4HE FINAL QUESTION IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IN THE WAKE OF 0OWER OF 0LACE AND SETS THE CONTEXT FOR THIS INITIATIVE ! CAMPAIGN IN THE LOCAL PRESS ENTITLED @3TOP THE 2OT HAD HIGHLIGHTED THE PERILOUS POSITION OF A ! SUSTAINED PERIOD OF UNDER INVESTMENT HAS SEEN THE STEADY DETERIORATION OF SEVERAL PROMINENT BUILDINGS 4HE CHURCH OF 3T !NDREW S 2ODNEY 3TREET HAS NOW BEEN GIVEN PRIORITY BY THE "UILDINGS AT 2ISK /FFICER AND A REPAIRS NOTICE SERVED
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