New 10 year vision for Liverpool City Centre
A new 10-year masterplan designed to bring further breathtaking change to Liverpool city centre is being produced by Liverpool Vision.
The Strategic Investment Framework (SIF) will build upon and refresh the Strategic Regeneration Framework 2000, which successfully guided the delivery of the physical regeneration of the city centre over the last decade.
The previous plan envisaged Liverpool One, the Arena and Convention Centre, the Museum of Liverpool, the canal link, the cruise liner facility, St Paul’s Square, the City Centre Movement Strategy and Lime Street Gateway, as well as suggesting that the city bid to be European Capital of Culture.
The city centre’s transformation has helped Liverpool re-establish itself as a visitor and investment destination, which is now ranked in the top five retail centres in the UK, is a top five city break destination, the second largest wealth management centre in the UK, the most filmed city in the UK outside of London and according to readers of Conde Nast Traveller the most friendly city in the country.
A SIF steering group has now been formed to create the strategy that will ensure that Liverpool city centre continues its economic resurgence.
Liverpool Vision’s Chief Executive, Max Steinberg who chairs the group, said: “A dynamic and resilient city centre economy is extremely important both to Liverpool and to the wider city region. The new SIF will reflect Liverpool’s developing international agenda and take account of best practice from creative cities around the world.
“It will ensure the city centre’s business, residential and visitor communities can co-exist in a vibrant, innovative and enterprising space and give confidence to those considering investing in the city.”
Mr Steinberg added: “Data just published by the Office of National Statistics shows that the city weathered the economic storm up to 2009 better than the rest of the UK, which reflects the impact of the SRF 2000.
“It is vital, therefore, that we strengthen from a position of strength and I am fully convinced, given the level of ambition and the robustness of the public/private partnerships that now exist in Liverpool, that the SIF 2012 will be no less ambitious and just as successful.”
The SIF steering group has a private sector majority, representing the key business sectors in the city centre and includes leading representatives from Liverpool One; Liverpool in Business; Professional Liverpool; Liverpool John Moores University; 2Bio; Land Securities; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; Arena and Convention Centre; Merseytravel; Engage and Bruntwood as well as Liverpool City Council
David Guest, Regional Director of Bruntwood, said: “The new framework will provide a basis for the city’s next generation of international city centre development. It will set out criteria to evaluate initiatives that will boost additionality in the creation of wealth and new investment and therefore increase sustainable job creation for the wider city community.
Gerry Proctor, Chair of Engage is representing the substantial city centre residential population. Gerry said: “We are looking at Liverpool’s city centre in a multi-faceted way. Gaining input from the business community, developers and residential communities ensures that Liverpool continues to develop in a cohesive and inclusive way.”
Liverpool Vision’s Head of Area Investment Jenny Douglas said: “The regeneration framework of 2000 provided a context in which the city could confidently address and deliver on its opportunities and challenges.
“It helped Liverpool regain its position as a first class European city. The next stage involves not only maintaining this momentum but also accelerating it.”
A Members Reference Group of Cabinet and other elected Members of the City Council, chaired by Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, has also been established in parallel to the SIF Steering Group, to ensure the active involvement of elected members and to provide a forum for discussion and guidance.
Cllr Kennedy said: “The success of the last city centre masterplan is an enormous testament to all sectors pulling together towards one common goal. It really has helped the city catch up with our UK competitor cities.
“Yet there is scope for continued growth and the new strategy will be about consolidating and building on the previous 10 years and looking at specific sectors like the knowledge economy and financial services.
“It will be an ambitious plan and as before tempered by realism, but the bottom line is economic growth and creating a range of accessible jobs and creating the conditions for significant investment.”
The Strategic Investment Framework is expected to be ready for publication by spring 2012 and is being developed by a consortium headed by Drivers Jonas Deloitte and including Planit and Martin Stockley Associates.
They will be assisted by expert advisors Graham Russell from Amion and Joe Berridge from Toronto-based Urban Strategies, who has played a key role in some of the world’s largest urban regeneration projects including the waterfronts in Toronto, New York and London and the downtowns of Manchester, St. Louis and Detroit.
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For further information please contact Jonathan Caswell, Head of Public Relations at Liverpool City Centre on 0151 600 2946 or jcaswell@liverpoolvision.co.uk
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