Image source,Getty Images
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to remove the Liverpool Maritime Mall from the World Heritage List.
The 44th World Heritage Conference, held in Fuzhou, China, made this decision after a secret ballot. The reason is that the value of the Liverpool waterfront as a world heritage site has suffered irreversible damage.
UNESCO said developments in Liverpool’s waterfront, including the planned new Everton Stadium, have caused “serious damage” to the historical site.
“Difficult to understand”
Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson (Joanne Anderson) expressed “difficult to understand” the decision.
She said that Liverpool’s World Cultural Heritage is in the best state ever, and dozens of protected buildings and public places have benefited from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment.
She also revealed that she will work with the government to study whether Liverpool can appeal the decision.
Liverpool is the hometown of the famous British band The Beatles and has a long history of sailing.
In 2004, UNESCO included Liverpool on the World Heritage List, recognizing the city’s influence as one of the world‘s major trading centers in the 18th and 19th centuries and commending its pioneering terminal technology, transportation system and port management.
Protection and development
Liverpool is located in the northwest of England and is the second largest trading port in the UK. It is also a city with profound cultural, sports, artistic and historical heritage.
Liverpool’s characteristic archway downstairs and the cobblestone streets are full of galleries, museums, and bars. Many world-famous artists, comedians, inventors and politicians are born, including the Beatles that have taken the world by storm.
Liverpool is also well-known for football, with two famous clubs, Liverpool and Everton; it is also the origin of the most famous Aintree National Race.
In 2008, Liverpool became the European Capital of Culture.
But a major challenge facing this historic city is how to find a balance between protecting its cultural heritage and continuing to develop its economy.
Image source,Everton FC
A sample image of the new Everton Stadium under construction on the Liverpool waterfront.
In 2004, when Liverpool was officially listed on the World Heritage List, Liverpool One Shopping Centre had not yet been built, and no one had proposed an idea for the multi-million pound Everton Stadium.
And now, it is these projects that are considered to have caused the consequences of “over-development”, seriously affecting the historical charm of Liverpool’s waterfront.
Claire Hamilton, a reporter for the BBC Liverpool Regional Radio, said that in Liverpool, some people think that the title of “World Heritage” is not needed, especially in a country that has been neglected for decades. Dilapidated area in disrepair; indeed, many people come to visit Liverpool’s historical sites, but that is not because Liverpool is on the World Heritage List, but for the Beatles, football, food and history.
However, the delisting of Liverpool also makes some people worry that in the future, the city’s motivation and energy in protecting heritage, architecture, and history will drop sharply, and there will be more development projects that are arbitrary and lack planning.
Liverpool history
Liverpool’s world heritage extends from the famous waterfront, through the traditional business district, to St. George’s Hall.
The core of Liverpool’s application for the World Heritage Site is its history as a major global port in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it played an important role in the development of the British Empire.
At that time, Liverpool was a hub for large-scale population movements, and many immigrants from Europe went to the Americas through this.
Historically, Liverpool was also a key port for transatlantic slave trade.
After World War II, the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool became the largest single first-class protected building complex in the UK.
Image source,Getty Images
During the First World War in 1915, 12,000 officers and men held a military parade outside St. George’s Hall.
“World Heritage List”
UNESCO began to compile the “World Heritage List” in 1972, and initially named 12, including Yellowstone National Park in the United States and Lalibela Cave Church in Ethiopia.
Currently, among the 167 member states of UNESCO, more than 1,100 historical and cultural sites are included in the list.
Recently added sites include Te Wahipounamu Park in southwest New Zealand.
China began to apply for UNESCO World Heritage projects in 1986. Up to now, there are 55 world heritage sites in China, including the Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Mogao Grottoes, and Terracotta Warriors.
Before the delisting of the Liverpool Maritime Mall, there were 32 World Heritage Sites in the UK, including Stonehenge, Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of former Prime Minister Churchill, Tower of London, Canterbury Cathedral, Kew Gardens, the famous London Botanic Garden, Bath City, etc. .
Now Liverpool has become the third World Heritage Site to be delisted.
In 2007, the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman was delisted by UNESCO due to poaching and habitat degradation, becoming the first World Heritage site to be delisted.
In 2009, the Elbe Valley in Dresden, Germany was the second place to be removed from the World Heritage List due to the construction of the Waldschlosschen road bridge over the Elbe.