Council is looking to maximise the potential of Liverpool’s Mathew Street, Whitechapel and Williamson Square areas and the £90m Beatles industry. Tony McDonough reports
A major plan to maximise the potential of Liverpool’s Cavern quarter and is musical heritage has secured the approval of senior city councillors.
Liverpool City Council’s cabinet has given the green light to a new Spatial Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the Cavern Quarter, including Mathew Street, a hotspot for the city’s £90m Beatles tourist industry.
The SRF contains a range of recommendations to help attract new investment, celebrate the current music scene and to enable the council to steer the future use of existing buildings in the area.
The document aims to address a tourism report that called for the city to curate a clearer proposition around Liverpool’s pivotal role in the story of popular and contemporary music. A UNESCO City of Music, Liverpool’s music heritage industry is centred around The Beatles. But the tourism report found visitors are increasingly looking for a “quality experiential visit”.
The Cavern Quarter/Williamson Square SRF was the subject of a five–week public consultation and following today’s approval it will be used to guide all future planning applications within the area.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, said: “Liverpool’s musical heritage is an asset of global significance. This masterplan presents an opportunity to provide an experience which celebrates that unique offer and showcases the current scene. The next key step is to identify the monies needed and work with our partners to deliver these changes.”
Key recommendations in the SRF include a facelift for the Mathew Street, Whitechapel and Williamson Square areas with more animation, street art, street furniture and improved wayfinding. It also recommends the redevelopment of Dawson Street site if the taxi rank can be successfully relocated.
Peter Hooton, chair of The Beatles Legacy Group, added: “This progressive and ‘visionary’ master plan is welcome news. The Cavern Quarter, Whitechapel and Williamson Square are home to numerous historical sites that have shaped the City’s music, and cultural heritage.
“We need to protect and develop these sites in order to enhance these world famous attractions and to ensure Liverpool celebrates the past but also enables the creative industries to thrive in the future.”