Plans for ambitious regeneration of Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront

Liverpool City Council is hoping to appoint a team of specialists to support the regeneration of the city’s beautiful waterfront.

The ambitious masterplan will aim to maximise the economic potential of the six mile waterfront, from Festival Gardens to Bramley-Moore Dock. The document will form plans for the 10-15 year development, which aims to enhance connectivity along the waterfront and support the city’s ambition to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Two years after Liverpool was stripped of its world heritage status, the council says the masterplan will ensure the waterfront’s ‘continued growth as a global destination and major economic engine’.

Next Tuesday (September 19),  the city council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the start of the search for a planning team. If approved the council will issue a tender for the appointment of ‘an exceptional team with outstanding expertise at an international level’ later this year, and tackle the ‘challenges around inequality and deprivation’.

Key stakeholders such as Liverpool BID Company and the Canal and River Trust, and major land owners such as Grosvenor and Peel Land and Property, would inform plans. It is intended that the final waterfront masterplan will be taken forward for adoption as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and will be informed by the 2022 Local Plan.

A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council explained: “Whilst Liverpool’s waterfront is a thriving destination in the city there are challenges around inequality and deprivation in adjoining neighbourhoods, and there are disparities between the demographics of the wards along and adjoining the waterfront.”

The local authority outlined the masterplan’s seven key aims which include maximising the waterfront’s contribution to the city region’s economy and sustainable development, enhancing connectivity along the waterfront, tackling the impact of climate change and implementing measures for enhancing legibility, including public realm, public art, way marking, environmental improvements, green infrastructure to create a sense of place along the waterfront.

Other significant schemes completed on the waterfront in recent years include the Liverpool ONE retail and leisure complex and the new Museum of Liverpool. Ongoing projects include Tate Liverpool’s regeneration project at the Royal Albert Dock, the revival of Festival Gardens and Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.