Its role as a trading power during the British Empire and the architectural beauty of the port area earned Liverpool a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004. A new football stadium now ensures that the city loses that mention again. The strangest thing is that the stadium is not even there yet. It will not open until 2024 at the earliest.
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The UN organization for education, science and culture – UNESCO for short – decided today to cancel Liverpool’s protected status during a secret meeting in China. The reason for this drastic action is the new stadium of Everton football club, the Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium. Much to the chagrin of UNESCO and Liverpool itself.
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‘Irreversible loss’
Everton @Everton
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UNESCO speaks of an ‘irreversible loss’. According to the organization, the Victorian docks on the waterfront of Liverpool in particular have been heavily ‘damaged’ by the construction of the football stadium, among other things. “Its exceptional universal value has been destroyed. There is a significant loss of authenticity and integrity.”
There is no arguing about taste, even for those who love football. The new stadium is by no means cheap. Everton’s new construction plans cost around £500 million, about 570 million euros. In February of this year, the city council approved the realization of the stadium. In March, after studying the plans, the British government also gave the final yes.
Unesco’s decision is a tough one for Liverpool to process. A humiliating blow, all the more so because the city is only the third ‘monument’ ever to be removed from the heritage list. In 2007, the protected habitat of the Arabian oryx – a type of antelope – was scrapped as Oman wanted to reduce the habitat by 90 percent in favor of economic development.
“Disrespectful human actions have destroyed the value of the area,” said UNESCO. Two years later, the Elbe Valley in Dresden, Germany, lost its World Heritage status. This was prompted by the construction of a bridge through the nature reserve. For the record, Liverpool is about more than just building the Everton stadium. The port’s redevelopment plans as a whole do not make sense to UNESCO.
The cultural organization regarded the port of departure for millions of Irish and British migrants – and African slaves – as ‘distinctive and unique’. The rich musical history of Liverpool, where the Beatles, among others, saw the light of day, also played a role in ending up on the heritage list. The British government was repeatedly asked to give ‘solid guarantees’ about the future of the city.
Mayor Joanne Anderson says she is ‘disappointed’. “I am very disappointed with the decision to withdraw its World Heritage status, a decade after UNESCO last visited the city.” She is considering appealing. “Our World Heritage has never been in better shape. It has benefited from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment.”
