Last-minute plea for Liverpool to stay on Unesco World Heritage list

Liverpool, July 9 Arts and cultural organisations in Liverpool joined force in a last-minute bid to avert the British city losing its Unesco World Heritage status.

Unesco's World Heritage Committee, meeting later this month in China, is being recommended to strip Liverpool of the prestigious title because of waterfront developments, including a new multi-million dollar stadium for English Premier League club Everton, reports Xinhua news agency.

Liverpool was granted the World Heritage status in 2004 in recognition of the city's history as a major trading centre and of its architectural landmarks.

In 2012, proposals for high-rise buildings prompted the World Heritage Committee to put the city on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

A report to the committee said the projects threaten the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage site.

Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium (LARC), an alliance of the city's major cultural organisations, on Thursday pleaded with the Unesco revaluate its decision to remove the city's from the World Heritage list.

The consortium includes the cream of the city's cultural world, including Tate Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool (NML), the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the city's three main theaters, and other arts bodies.

LARC says Liverpool is at a crucial moment for its economic renaissance, adding "Deletion of World Heritage status, at a time when we are planning our comeback following the global pandemic, would be an unfair setback".

In their plea to Unesco, the consortium said: "We understand the importance of protecting the city's considerable historic assets and believe the stories of our past have an integral role in Liverpool's ongoing development and growth.

"As such, we are committed to celebrating the city's remarkable heritage while looking forward to an exciting future, imbued with culture and creativity."

The consortium adds that several of its venues are housed in historic buildings within the World Heritage Site, delivering arts and participation programs that engage with, interpret and interrogate the port's maritime mercantile narratives, bringing them into dialogue with the present.

"Recognition of Liverpool's global heritage significance is especially critical at this time, as we endeavor to connect contemporary debates around colonial legacies to an understanding of our past. Liverpool has always been a world-class heritage city with its fine architecture, distinctive waterfront and cultural assets, with people at its heart.

"However, the protection and appreciation of our historic assets and the city's need and appetite for ongoing development needn't be exclusive," the letter added.

They said they believe there is an outstanding opportunity for Unesco, the UK government and Liverpool to work in partnership to secure the thriving future an ambitious global city, while preserving the unique and prestigious heritage at its heart.

Local mayors and civic leaders, as well as national politic, have asked the World Heritage Committee to delay a decision to enable it to visit the city to see how the site is being protected.

The World Heritage Committee meeting will held in Fuzhou, China on July 16-31.