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Urban Redevelopment Liverpool SEPTEMBER 2005 Online 506 Geofile Sally Garrington Redevelopment of an Inner City Area – Liverpool Introduction Figure 2: Liverpool’s population, 1700–2004 Liverpool began as a small fishing 900 1937 Peak population port on the Mersey estuary but grew 800 1937 rapidly from 1700 as a result of the 2004 For the first ‘Triangular Trade’. Manufactured 1800–1937 Steep rise in population time since 1937 700 population due to increase in trade and industrial 1961 goods were exported to West Africa, growth in the surrounding area. Became increases. where they were exchanged for 600 UK’s second city. Huge migrations from 1900 Ireland. 1971 slaves. These slaves were then taken 500 1937–1955 Decline of to the Americas and the ships cotton industry in 1981 400 hinterlands. Decline of 2004 returned to Great Britain with goods 1991 Empire. Competition 2001 from other countries. such as sugar cane, raw cotton and 300 1700–1800 Population grew rum. Port industries based on these (thousands) Population because of success of 1955–2001 Trade with EU imports grew, an example being the 200 Triangular Trade in bringing becomes more important wealth to the city. so Liverpool less well placed. Tate & Lyle sugar refinery. The 100 Out migration of population slave trade was abolished in 1807 but due to unemployment. the city continued to grow as a major 0 port for trading with the Americas. 1700 1800 1900 2000 It was also important as an Year emigration gateway for people wishing to leave the country and during and after the Potato Famines migrations of Chinese, African settle in Australia and the USA. This of the nineteenth century. Flowing Caribbeans and people from the was especially true for the Irish in the opposite direction have been Asian sub-continent. Figure 1: Liverpool and the city centre area Eldonian Key Village 1 Royal Liver Building 2 Cunard Building Princes Liverpool Manchester Dock 3 Port of Liverpool Building Key 1 Pier 2 London Southport John Lennon Airport Head 3 Matthew Street Cavern Quarter Lime Street Liverpool The Strand Cultural Chavasse Main Quarter Inner City area Park Retail Irish Albert Area Sea Dock Paradise Street Development Area M6 Kings Dock Area Project Queens Cathedral Development Rosemary Skelmersdale Dock Customs Parliament Street & Excise M53 Marina Riverside Walk Brunswick M57 Business Park LIVERPOOL M62 Garden Festival Site Widnes Birkenhead Runcorn River Mersey Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2005 September 2005 no.506 Redevelopment of an Inner City Area – Liverpool Figure 3: Causes of the decline of Liverpool since the 1930s a ‘top-down approach’. The following are important examples in Liverpool of this approach. Decline of 19th Modern industries Decline in shipping century industries in clustered in the south movements to the hinterland. Fewer east of the UK and Americas and old • 1984 The International Garden exports. greenfield sites. Empire. Festival, held on previously contaminated land in the dockland area. It provided the money to clear Containerisation of goods. derelict and contaminated land and CAUSES OF THE 19th century docks too Older docks unsuitable. DECLINE OF small and shallow to take offered a high-profile event to Port established at modern general and Seaforth further along the LIVERPOOL SINCE attract new investors. It was container shipping. estuary. THE 1930s partially successful as it created a more attractive Mersey frontage but did not attract much inward Unemployment grew because of Increased trade with investment. containerisation – fewer dockers Port-based industries Europe means that • 1988 The redevelopment of the required and a reduction in industrial using imported raw ports in eastern UK employment. Impacted on cityscape materials such as sugar Albert Dock. This was the MDC’s are better located. – derelict areas and run down. refining also declined. flagship development and involved the complete renovation of this During the 19th century the city the abandoned, derelict docks, most of Grade 1 port complex – the largest prospered; this is reflected in the many which were silted up and unusable. in the UK. It provided quality magnificent buildings to be found in Much of the housing that remained apartments with river views and the city centre, such as St. George’s consisted of 19th-century back-to-back city centre living alongside prestige Hall and Lime Street Station. By then, terraces in poor condition. Where office space and television studios. Liverpool was the second city of the these had been demolished, largely as a On the ground level are a number British Empire, after London. The result of the clearance of bomb- of shopping outlets aimed at the city’s population continued to grow, damaged areas after World War Two, tourist as well as the Tate reaching its peak in 1937 (Figure 2), they had been replaced by 1960s tower Liverpool art gallery, the Maritime from when it declined – a process blocks. These were shoddily built and Museum and the ‘Beatles’ Story’. which is only now beginning to soon themselves required full The residential accommodation reverse. Industrial decline began refurbishment due to major problems has encouraged the middle classes earlier in the 20th century, linked to of damp and the use of poor building back into what was a largely empty the decline of the old 19th-century materials. In the 1970s Liverpool’s section of the city’s central area. industries, mainly due to competition population continued to decline so Today it is an important tourist from abroad. Figure 3 shows the main there was less housing need and many attraction, with 6 million tourists causes of decline in Liverpool during of the tower blocks were demolished in visiting the Dock every year. the 20th century. the 1980s. However, apart from improving the visual appearance of the area it has Results of the decline Figure 4 outlines the effects of a cycle not provided much improvement of deprivation. Unemployment grew as in the quality of life for the local By 1981 the city of Liverpool was in the work in the docks dried up, as did people of Toxteth, who cannot serious decline. This was evidenced by the jobs in the port industries. This led afford the apartments and for to feelings of alienation and whom there are very few suitable Figure 4: Cycle of deprivation hopelessness. By the early 1980s the jobs within the redeveloped dock. UK was once again in recession and all • 1988 Brunswick Business Park was Job losses as old industries these feelings of resentment blew up in created within the dock area. It lose out to foreign competition and relocation. the hot summer of 1981 into the created a good quality landscaped Toxteth Riots, where Liverpudlians of business environment with river Reduced Feelings of Some mainly West Indian extraction fought frontage, adjacent to the city centre personal alienation areas suffer and having access to a reliable income and running battles with the police. This and despair from income to workforce. Industries that are in residents. multiple action highlighted the problems of city via deprivation. inner city Liverpool, which was now mainly light and footloose, such as taxes. one of the poorest cities of Europe media, telecommunications and Reduced job along with Naples, and spurred the packaging, were attracted to this opportunities location. in city. Less spent in Conservative government into action. shops and on • Also in 1988, the Marina was services by developed providing high quality population. Early regeneration City becomes less middle class homes near to the city attractive to 1. Top down approach centre and with adjacent moorings business and for and yacht club if required. workforce. Move Following the 1981 riots the Results in further to suburbs or Merseyside Development Corporation • 1993 A new office development for job losses in retail elsewhere. and services. was created (the first Urban the Littlewoods chain of stores Development Corporation outside opened and the Customs & Excise London) with the aim of improving VAT headquarters was set up. Both Less money available life in Liverpool, including the of these provided a range of office to individuals and city jobs for the people of Liverpool, council to maintain renovation of the central dockland housing. area. Because it is driven by the but still very little for the unskilled government, this is often referred to as or semi-skilled worker. Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2005 September 2005 no.506 Redevelopment of an Inner City Area – Liverpool 2. Bottom up approach wish to live there. It has won government departments. The aim A ‘bottom-up approach’ is where awards for its design and now was to use local knowledge to try redevelopment or action is begun by privately owned housing has and drive the economy forward and the people who live and work in an been built adjacent to it because there had to be some representation area. of what was started by the co- from the local community in order operative, to create a pleasant for a project to be supported • 1989 The Eldonian Village was residential city centre area. financially. created. It is a new-build housing • The Cathedral Development. co-operative for the less well off, The Anglican cathedral is situated in Vauxhall near the city In 1993, the city of Liverpool still situated in Toxteth and the Dean centre, which was an area of poor had many areas of deprivation. of the Cathedral wanted to try housing conditions. Major Liverpool workers only earned 75% and improve conditions in this factory closures such as the Tate of the EU average, which triggered inner city area of multiple & Lyle sugar refinery meant Objective 1 funding for the city, deprivation. In the late 1980s a high levels of unemployment, which aims to reduce the disparity small-scale housing development but there was a strong sense of between the areas of the EU.
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