30 year plan to redevelop Liverpool's world famous waterfront will honour heritage

A new public realm with improved connectivity will from the basis of a new scheme to be implemented across a 10km stretch from Otterspool in the south, to Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium in the north.

Now the city council is seeking public engagement for the plans that have formed Liverpool’s draft waterfront Vision and Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

According to officials, the vision sets out bold proposals for the future of the waterfront over the next 20–30 years, placing communities at its heart.

Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said the plan will act as a “celebration of our rich maritime history and a blueprint for embracing its potential, helping to grow communities and create new jobs.” An eight week consultation on the scheme is now underway, running until Friday August 8.

The council appointed urban design and landscape architecture firm, West 8, together with BDP, to develop the scheme that sets a benchmark for waterfront regeneration in Europe. It also seeks to create a more inclusive, accessible and thriving waterfront.

The vision is underpinned by three core principles including reconnecting neighbourhoods to the Mersey, prioritising free-to-access public space and green infrastructure to support climate resilience, and supporting high-quality, heritage-sensitive development that creates places to live, work and play and benefits the whole city.

The vision will also address conservation and enhancement of the natural and historic environment, as well as climate change and the council’s ambition to deliver net zero by 2030.

Cllr Robinson said: “Liverpool is blessed to have one of the world’s most iconic waterfronts and it’s our duty to ensure its future development befits that status.

“Our vision for the riverfront is to honour its heritage whilst embracing innovation.

This plan should be both a celebration of our rich maritime history and a blueprint for embracing its potential, helping to grow communities and create new jobs.

“We’ve already had some great conversations with a number of stakeholders and now we need to hear the views of our residents. Their feedback will help guide this exciting new chapter in our waterfront story and help ensure everyone continues to enjoy and benefit from this amazing asset for generations to come.”

The draft SPD will translate this vision into planning guidance, design principles and development parameters covering such matters as movement, active travel, green and grey infrastructure, identity and character of different areas along Liverpool’s waterfront.

Once adopted, the SPD will be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications and will guide public and private investment.

The draft plans have been informed by engagement with Liverpool’s communities, residents, and businesses and key stakeholders, such as Liverpool BID Company, Grosvenor, Tate Liverpool, and major land-owners such as Peel Land and Property, National Museum Liverpool, the Canal and River Trust, General Projects, and Liverpool Yacht Club.

Cllr Nick Small, Liverpool Council cabinet member for development and growth, said: “Liverpool’s waterfront is instantly recognisable and a principal reason we’re one of the UK’s most visited cities and one of the most filmed in Europe. It has been transformed over recent decades and is once again a huge part of the city’s economic engine.

“Now with this new plan we all have a chance to play our part in shaping its future. The ambition, scale and scope of what is being planned from Festival Gardens to beyond Everton’s new stadium has the potential to transform all the communities connected to the Mersey.

“It’s not often we have the chance to make history but helping to shape this waterfront plan is that moment, and I hope people embrace this consultation to make this and plan the best it can possibly be.”

A public engagement event will take place at Liverpool Town Hall on Monday July 7.