Liverpool- urban regeneration

Location:
Liverpool is a metropolitan city in Merseyside, England. In 2019, the
population of Liverpool was approximately 500,000. This made
Liverpool the tenth largest English district in terms of population and
it contributes to 75 % of the population of Merseyside1. It is one of
the sixth most populated urban areas in the UK.
City: 43.2 sq mi (111.8
km2)
Urban 77.1 sq mi
(199.6 km2)
Area rank: 203rd
Population: (mid-2019
est.)
City: 498,042
Rank (UK): 10th
Density: 11,460/sq mi (4,424/km2)
Urban: 864,122 (6th)
Urban density: 11,210/sq mi (4,329/km2)
Metro: 2,241,000 (5th)

Liverpool is undergoing a massive 14 billion pounds regeneration to

modernise the city through industrial, infrastructure and technology
renaissance. A new creative district or a world-leading knowledge
sector, Liverpool is leading its way in reimaging and restructuring its

1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool
urban landscape2. In the next five years, Liverpool is home to 10, 000
new homes with proper
sanitation, safety,
privacy and space,
Everton FC new
stadium which has a
capacity of 53,0003. A
new cruise terminal, to
ease transportation in
the sea and aids tourism,
a new TV and Film hub
which is to create a
massive cinema industry
throughout Europe and the world, 250 million pounds invested on
creating new roads to prevent road accidents and to ease and aid
transportation to London and a 2 million sq feet of commercial office
space which is to provide 3 million jobs to people from the UK and
for foreign labourers. Liverpool is a city of opportunity and the
regeneration program is never to be halted. Being located on Britain’s
coastline it is the gateway to the Northern powerhouse and a city
region which generates 30 billion pounds per annum. Being UK’s
second largest economy powerhouse with generation a nice cut to the
Britain’s economy- Liverpool means business however, things were
not like this before.

History of Liverpool:
King John, (the king of England from
1199-1216, who is known for losing all
English territories in France) announced
the foundation of the district and
municipality of Liverpool in 1207. By the

2
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/348533/design-and-regeneration-in-liverpool-city-
centre.pdf
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramley-Moore_Dock_Stadium
middle of the 16th century, the population was only 5004. The original
street plan of Liverpool was designed by King John and at the same
time was full declared as a main district to contribute in England’s
economy. In the 17th century there was a very small progress in trade
and economy and a slight rise in its population growth. Battles for
control of the town sparked during the English civil war, including a
eighteen-day siege in 1644, this siege was not long as the opposition
burned all crops and churches, during this era, churches were often
banks where money was stored, hence the economy dropped and both
armies eventually died by starvation and lacking gun powder. In
1699, the same year as its first recorded slave ship, Liverpool
Merchant council set sail to Africa. Liverpool eventually became a
community due to its current economic status, although the legislation
before this was showing subsequent development in Liverpool. As
trade from the West Indies rapidly increased, many Liverpool
merchants brought sugar, tobacco and tea but more significantly
money. Liverpool began to grow with increasing rapidity and the first
ever wet dock was built in Liverpool in 17155. Substantial profits
from the slave trade and its products helped Liverpool to prosper and
grow rapidly however seeing the darker side of this prosperity local
abolishment movement began in the city.
By the start of the 19th century, a large volume of trade passing
through Liverpool and the construction of major infrastructure
reflected its wealth, in which one historian
said, jealous was spread across Europe
cause of Liverpool. With wealth increasing,
Liverpool and Manchester became the first
cities to have an intercity rail link in 1830.
This stimulated the population to rise
rapidly, especially during the 1840s many
Irish immigrants arrived at Liverpool due to the Great Famine. Great
Britain was a major market for cotton, due to the industrial revolution
4
https://web.archive.org/web/20170817214544/https://www.lodging-world.com/blog/liverpools-slavery-
history-trail/
5
https://www.nytimes.com/1898/01/02/archives/liverpool-dock-system-improvements-being-made-and-
contemplated-will.html
starting in Europe, Liverpool generated massive amounts of revenues
through imported cotton from the US, as a result the textile industry
exceeded its limits in Liverpool and also the country. Being a city
with wealth but a dark and black market behind it, Liverpool became
a city of both cotton and slavery in its economy, during the American
civil war, Liverpool was, in the words of Sven Beckert, was described
as the most pro-confederate place in the word outside the confederacy
itself. In the early 1850s, many Europeans described Europe as the
New York of Europe. During the 19th and 20th century, Liverpool was
attracting thousands of immigrants from Europe. This resulted in the
construction of a diverse community, where different religious
buildings were built and new ethnic and religious groups were in
Europe, the diversity created in Liverpool stimulated a sense of
sympathy towards the slaves, after the abolishment of slavery, in
Liverpool slavery was declared to stop and its economy will not rely
on it6.
20 years later, constant and increasing tension in Europe took place,
weapons, military and culture has taken a long progress from how it
use to be. These tensions and bitter arguments in Europe triggered
World War 1. In Liverpool, there was no landloss or ground battle,
but being situated in the coast, naval combat between Germany and
the UK took place constantly, these destroyed strategic locations and
ports in Liverpool. However, as the allies were getting stronger as the
US enters the war, Germany had to retreat and surrender. The post
war period has caused a significant damage to Liverpool, social
unrest, society being grappled with massive losses of young men as
well as giving nothing to the survived soldiers but just telling them to
continue their previous jobs definitely created bitterness in Liverpool.
Union organising and strikes took place in numerous locations,
including police strikes in London among the Metropolitan Police.
Numerous colonial soldiers and sailors from Africa and India, who
had served with the UK, settled in Liverpool and other port cities. In
June 1919 they were subject to attack by whites in racial riots7;
6
https://reviews.history.ac.uk/review/840
7
https://reviews.history.ac.uk/review/840
residents in the port included Swedish immigrants, and both groups
had to compete with native people from Liverpool for jobs and
housing.
The Housing Act was implemented by the municipality of the UK, in
which houses were built for the new immigrants across Liverpool.
Thousands of family members were relocated based on the belief of
improving their standard of
living. But just after 4 years
of being implemented, Great
Depression took place where
unemployment went down to
30% in Liverpool in just the
first day and Liverpool
suffered a lot from this.
Despite this, the Government
built Britain’s first ever provincial airport in Liverpool in the early
1930s which still in operation. During, the second world war, Nazi
Germany were in dominance and regular bomb raids also known as
Blitzkrieg8 took place at a regular basis in the UK. Both Hitler and
Churchill knew that Liverpool was a strategic location and its critical
strategic importance against Germany9. Liverpool was heavily
bombed by Nazi Germany; their dominance destroyed the royal air
force. Houses, important buildings were destroyed and deaths were in
the thousands. However, despite this loss, the pivotal Battle of
Atlantic was fought and won from Liverpool, where Nazi Germany
had full dominance of the coast but due to the death of Hitler and
Germany being surrounded, Germany retreated. As a result the
German Luftwaffe made approximately 100-150 air raids on
Merseyside and over 80 air raids were just done in Liverpool, these
air raids killed 23,000 people just in Liverpool and causing damage to
almost all the homes and buildings in Liverpool. After the war,
significant rebuilding took place, including massive housing estates
8
https://web.archive.org/web/20100606081949/http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/exhibitions/
blitz/blitz.asp
9
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/merseyside-maritime-museum?sheetId=4
and the Seaforth Dock, the largest dock project in Britain. The
immediate reconstruction of Liverpool caused hatred to citizens living
in the city centre. It was inconsistent and damaged and also the fact
that the historic portions of Liverpool weren’t raided by the German
Luftwaffe but were heavily damaged by the extensive destruction
caused by the Urban regeneration.
Construction after construction, public housing
expanded after WWII, many buildings were build
redeveloped and houses were built according to the
people’s needs. However, in the 1960s Liverpool was
the centre of what was known as the Merseybeat
sound, which was created by the Beatles10. Influenced
by American rock music and rhythm, their music
became very popular internationally. These was a
massive success for Liverpool’s tourism as many
millions visited Liverpool to attend the concerts.
They became commercially successful and has been a
very influential band in the society however, in 1980 their co-singer
and composer John Lennon was assassinated, and the Beatles stopped
performing. Which affected many Liverpool based tourist companies
and industries and many of them started industrial revenues.
Then in 1974, Liverpool was officially declared as a metropolitan
borough by the UK government, in which major investments were
made in Liverpool. From the mid-1970s onwards, Liverpool’s docks
and traditional manufacturing industries declined due to restructuring
progress on shipping and heavy industry, causing massive losses of
jobs. The introduction of
containerisation meant that the city’s
traditional docks were closed forever,
and many workers working here were
thrown out of their jobs. By the early
1980s unemployment rates in Liverpool
were among the highest in the UK,
10
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles
standing at 37% by January 198211. This was about the same level of
unemployment during the global depression which took 50 years ago.
In the later 20th century, Liverpool's economy began to recover as
international investments took place in Liverpool, especially by
countries in the Middle east and these industries were mostly related
to oil manufacturing additionally, the local government also provided
jobs to people who were fired from traditional docks. Since the mid-
1990s the city has enjoyed growth rates higher than the national
average.
By seeing Liverpool’s past, there were many ups and downs in its
economy and its progress in restructuring, however the city is
experiencing a massive growth in economy and by providing all the
basic needs at its most advanced to all its citizens (in terms of
education, medicine, jobs/financial and houses). These are the
investments and developments made by both private investors and the
government’s developments in Liverpool:
Better Roads: According to the
Liverpool City Council, the local
municipality with aid from several
private investors have spent 500
million pounds on Liverpool’s road
infrastructure to make Liverpool a
better place to live12, work and visit.
Essential improvements are made in
key routes that are in poor condition
and carry large volumes of vehicle
traffic. However, the council has
announced a short term disruption,
in which they have another plan to prevent this.
Liverpool Science
Park: To aid the
11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Liverpool#:~:text=The%20unemployment%20rate%20in
%20Liverpool,became%20synonymous%20with%20The%20Beatles.
12
https://www.onetouchinvestment.co.uk/news/advice/why-invest-in-property/regeneration-liverpool-citys-
changing-skyline/
future generation in their education in science, a new and advanced
science park is established in the main area of Liverpool. The
Liverpool Science Park has become a part of a vibrant hub of
innovation and forward thinking. It is the perfect location to bring
great ideas of life. Situated at the core of Liverpool’s knowledge
quarter, the park has railway and motorway networks. The park along
with its advanced facilities, the park is built to provide lab space to
suit the needs to a wide variety of science, tech and knowledge-based
companies. Additionally, the Liverpool science park has been heavily
working on a new vaccine to cure the novel coronavirus, which has
been seeing success13. Its advanced systems are able to mass produce
the vaccines not just in the UK or Europe but the world.
Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool): KQ Liverpool
brings together the city’s region’s key partners and investors to
collaborate in a creative
environment and close
the economic gap with
London and the South
East. KQ Liverpool sets
out to create and promote
the dynamic and
innovative industries
operating the knowledge
Quarter. The recent
Science and Innovation Audit (SIA) highlighted Liverpool region’s
three world-class strengths: infection, materials chemistry and high
performance & cognitive computing14. KQ Liverpool is home to some
of the world’s most influential players in science, health, technology,
culture, and education, with over £1bn of new developments already
underway.
To support the growth of new innovative businesses KQ Liverpool
intends to promote programmes that invest in research and it is 54,000

13
https://www.liverpoolsciencepark.co.uk/biograd-to-offer-covid-19-antibody-tests-at-liverpool-science-park/
14
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_Quarter,_Liverpool
students and restructure Liverpool at the forefront of global
innovation. KQ Liverpool has a vision that focuses on three main
areas: Making the place, improving connectivity, and Attracting
investment. Key to these plans will be the Paddington Village
expansion site, set to attract a further £1bn to the city, which will
house 1.8m sq ft of science, technology, education, and health space15.
In the centre of Paddington Village there will be a cluster of major
facilities, including RCP North, Rutherford Cancer Centre, and
Liverpool International College.
Ten Streets: The city council has been facilitating the creation of a
new cultural enterprise industry hub which as an potential to create up
to 2500-3000 jobs and the capability to generate an additional
business rate income for the city. Ten streets will be as important to
Liverpool’s future
economy as the
Commercial District and
the Knowledge Quarter.
Modern need diverse
economies with quarters
and spaces providing for
the specialist needs and
values of a multiplicity of
sectors and businesses. We
will deliver an
environment and workspace for artistic, creative and cultural
enterprises. Space, ambience, infrastructure and scale make Ten
Streets the ideal location for this vital missing component in
Liverpool’s offer and its appeal to other similar end-users. According
to the energy council of the UK, Ten Streets will be an example to the
Europe and the world for renewable energy and environmentally
sustainable design and construction as the houses will be constantly
supplied with renewable energy and the construction to be done using
limited fossil fuels. We will respect the scale and urban grain of the

15
https://www.rw-invest.com/liverpool/knowledge-quarter-development/
Ten Streets but recognise that this is also a place for experimentation
and innovation. Ten Streets will be a neighbourhood with its own
ambience and energy. We’re embracing cutting-edge style and radical
architectural invention, and we will be setting new standards for
environmental sustainability, smart energy and digital connectivity
We’re encouraging the creation of a distinctive, diverse and
independent leisure and hospitality offer in Ten Streets to add to its
energy and personality. The opening of the Titanic Hotel has been the
catalyst for investment and regeneration in Ten Streets. We envisage
an expansion of the hospitality sector and visitor economy as one of
the underpinning strands for Ten Streets. Successful commercial
neighbourhoods no longer close after 5 pm. Interesting, diverse and
independent places to eat and drink are vital ingredients to an area’s
appeal to those who want to work, live and invest there. Ten Streets’
intense energy and personality will be a magnet also to visitors keen
to experience and stay in this definitive Liverpool neighbourhood.
The Anfield Project: The Anfield project is a redevelopment plan
implemented by the Liverpool City Council with collaborations with
Liverpool Football Club and Liverpool’s real estate giant Your
Housing Group16. It has been in place since 2013, and its main aim is
to improve Anfield in all aspects. These includes a range of
development such as:

1. New and refurbished housing

2. New street
lighting, parks
and refurbished
alleyways
3. The expansion of
Liverpool
Football Club’s
Anfield stadium

16
http://regeneratingliverpool.com/project/the-anfield-project/
 4. Anfield Square – a new public square that will include
commercial and retail space and a new hotel
5. New retail premises along the High Street, including a new
Liverpool FC superstore and café
This regeneration project has been a massive success and is
considered to have helped those living in poor/bad built houses. The
expansion of the Main Stand at Liverpool FC’s football stadium has
created over 3000 jobs which includes catering, retail. Hospitality
management, safety, museum, tour, camera, and video recording.
Regeneration of the
Albert Dock: The Albert
Dock was officially
opened in 1846 but was
operated half a century
later. In 1900, it was to
small to accommodate
and provide service for
the large iron and steel
steamships and it seemed as though the dock had no purpose. In fact,
after 1920 there was no commercial activity in the docks and in 1972,
it was closed. However, in 1976 it was a conservation are and also
was an UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1983 Arrowcroft was
tasked with the huge responsibility of regenerating the Albert Dock, a
project that unfolded over a 20-year timeline. The scheme resulted in
1.3 million square feet of high-quality mixed-use accommodation,
including trendy restaurants and bars, retail space, residential
apartments, and offices17. Now the
Albert Dock has transformed into one
of the biggest complexes in Liverpool.
Lime Street Regeneration: The
regeneration of Liverpool’s Lime Street
has recently been confirmed to go
ahead, after the dispute between the
17
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Albert_Dock,_Liverpool
real estate developers, Neptune and campaigners SAVE Britain’s
Heritage was resolved. The £39m scheme involves the creation of a
412-bedroom student block, over 30,000 square feet of commercial
space and a 101-bedroom hotel. The area of contention was the
proposed demolition of the historic Futurist cinema. SAVE Britain’s
Heritage was against the demolition stating that it was inappropriate
action, but the court found that the building was structurally unsound,
and little could be done to stabilise it, so demolition was not an
unreasonable step to take. Amid the disputation, Lime Street has seen
significant progress in terms of space, accommodation, jobs and
tourists. This has played a major role in developing local businesses.
Liverpool waters: Liverpool Water
is a 5.5 billion pound project that is
mainly aimed to regenerate
Liverpool’s docklands that will
extend 2km along the River Mersey,
headed by the Peel Group. It is the
sister programme of the Wirral
Waters project and together they
make up the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone. Both projects enjoy
enterprise zone status, which offers attractive incentives to businesses
to invest there, including business rates discounts, superfast
broadband, and flexibility in terms of use of floor space. Not only
does the project aim to build a new cruise terminal on 60 acres of
derelict dockland, but it also includes the construction of over 9,000
apartments, offices, hotels, and bars18. The aim of the project is not
just to increase housing stock in the city, but also to encourage new
business and act as an extension of the commercial and business
districts within Liverpool’s city centre. Once completed, Liverpool
will be able to compete with cities such as Boston, Barcelona,
Toronto and Hamburg in terms of its waterfront offerings and
economy.

18
https://liverpoolwaters.co.uk/
In conclusion, Liverpool has been majorly developing in all aspects.
With the city council having strong and bilateral relationships and
collaborations with local, international and private investors,
Liverpool is capable of being in the same level as the capital, London.
Huge projects and major events that are going to take place in
Liverpool, will reflect its wealth throughout Europe and the World.
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