Unesco delegation says skyscraper proposal will result in 'serious loss of historic authenticity'
Liverpool's world heritage site waterfront will be "irreversibly damaged" unless urgent modifications are made to a multibillion-pound skyscraper scheme, a delegation from Unesco has warned.
The delegation said the skyscraper proposal would result in "a serious loss of historic authenticity".
The Unesco inspectors praised the "more or less symmetrical profile" of the city's waterfront, with the Three Graces – the Port of Liverpool and the Liver and Cunard buildings – at centre stage and historical docklands to the north complementing those to the south.
The Graces were "at the heart of the shipping and harbour operations during the height of [Liverpool's] glory, surrounded by dockyards and port structures", they said.
But they warned that if the £5.5bn Peel Holdings development, including tall buildings such as the Shanghai Tower, went ahead, this profile would be shifted to the north by introducing a secondary cluster of high-rises, with towers three times the size of the Three Graces.
They would "[relegate] the Three Graces to playing second violin", the inspectors found, "thereby losing an important visual and historical reference to the city's glorious past".
The Unesco report said the views of the Three Graces from Kings Dock would disappear amid the supertowers.
The report urged Peel Holdings, Liverpool city council and English Heritage to find a compromise on the Liverpool Waters scheme to regenerate the city's northern docklands.
But it did not spell out what would happen to the city's world heritage status if no changes were made to the project. It had been feared the report could recommend removing the status if the scheme was given planning permission, but it did not go that far.
The report said: "The mission concludes that, if the proposed Liverpool Waters scheme as outlined during the mission would be implemented, the world heritage property would be irreversibly damaged, due to a serious deterioration of its architectural and town planning coherence, a serious loss of historical authenticity, and an important loss of cultural significance."
Unesco, which oversees world heritage sites, dispatched inspectors to the city last November over concerns that the huge project, which falls within the world heritage site, would damage its "outstanding universal value".
Ron van Oers and Patricia Alberth, from Unesco, and Giancarlo Barbato, an Italian conservation architect from the International Committee on Monuments and Statues, conducted a three-day visit. Their findings will be considered by its World Heritage Committee in the summer.
Liverpool Waters features 9,000 flats, hundreds of offices, hotels, bars and a cruise terminal, as well as the 55-storey Shanghai Tower and other skyscrapers. It involves two clusters of tall buildings, one near the city centre and a second further north.
Peel Holdings has previously agreed to scale down the height of the Shanghai Tower to address heritage concerns.
Liverpool City council's leader, Joe Anderson, said he welcomed the findings of the report, adding that it was "really encouraging they are pressing for a compromise which would enable Liverpool Waters to go ahead".
He said: "I have always believed there is a way forward which will allow us to redevelop the North Liverpool Docks and secure the massive investment and badly needed new jobs, and to also preserve our world heritage status. Peel have already made significant alterations to their proposals since drawing up the original plans."
Anderson said the £6bn plans were vital for the future of what is one of the poorest parts of the country, and the investment is vital to Liverpool's future prosperity. "However, we are mindful of the need to build a better future for our city in a careful and sensitive way," he added.
The delegation, he added, found the conservation of the world heritage site had improved since its last visit in 2006, with new developments at the Pier Head, Liverpool One shopping and the Ropewalks area.
Anderson said he was pressing English Heritage, Peel and the city council to redouble their efforts to reach an agreement on the best way forward.
The council's chief executive, Ged Fitzgerald, said a public consultation was under way and discussions would continue before the planning committee decides on the application in March. "We will work in collaboration with English Heritage and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to respond to the mission and its report," he said.
English Heritage said the mission report identified a number of significant concerns about the impact the Liverpool Waters development on the world heritage site and advised that it should work with the city council and Peel to resolve the concerns.
"As a statutory advisor to Liverpool city council, we will be very willing to do so if invited," English Heritage said.
"We believe that a revised scheme for the central docks could reduce the amount of harm to the world heritage site and deliver long-term benefits which include jobs and growth but also the repair and reuse of historic buildings."
Peel Holdings declined to comment.