“The committee decided to exclude the Liverpool – Sea Trade City (UK) from the World Heritage List due to the irreversible loss of attributes that give the object’s outstanding universal value,” the statement said.
It is noted that Liverpool was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004, and in 2012 on the List of Heritage in Danger. Liverpool’s historic center and docks have been listed as a testament to the development of one of the world’s largest shopping centers in XVIII-XIX centuries.
However, the large-scale construction of the Liverpool Waters project in and around the city center “is detrimental to the authenticity and integrity of the site,” the committee said.
The Liverpool Waters project envisions a complete transformation of the city’s northern docks, “creating an environmentally friendly, high quality, world-class multi-purpose waterfront and bringing life back to the historic docks.” it says on the project website.
Peel L&P Development Director Chris Capes named UNESCO’s decision was disappointing, but added that “even without the status of a World Heritage Site, Liverpool’s rich history remains.” He pledged to prove that “reviving and protecting Liverpool’s legacy can happen together.”
Liverpool Mayor Joan Anderson said the decision was “incomprehensible” and hopes to appeal. She stressed that this decision was made “10 years after UNESCO last visited the city to see it with its own eyes,” reports Reuters.
Liverpool became the third site in history to be delisted from the World Heritage List. In 2007, the Oryx Antelope Sanctuary in Oman was deprived of this status due to poaching and destruction of animal habitats, and in 2009 – the Elbe Valley in Dresden due to the fact that a four-lane road bridge was built across the river.
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