The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has removed the historic ports of Liverpool from the Heritage List. in the current situation The organization says on Wednesday That new construction in the ports, also known as the Maritime Trade City of Liverpool, has damaged the ‘authenticity and integrity’ of the area. A site has only been removed from the Heritage List twice before.
Liverpool’s Historic Victorian Ports was added to the list in 2004. When concerns arose in 2012 about proposed new building plans in the area, Maritime Mercantile City was also placed on the Endangered World Heritage List. However, new construction plans for the port and the surrounding area have been pushed forward. The apartment towers and office buildings were constructed under the name ‘Liverpool Waters’ at a cost of 5.5 billion pounds (6.3 billion euros). Work is also underway on the construction of the £500m stadium for Everton Football Club, which is due to open in 2024.
It’s not so much that UNESCO removes a site from the World Heritage List. On the list’s 49th anniversary, this has happened twice before. In 2007, the committee decided to remove the habitat of the rare Arabian Oryx, a type of antelope, due to Oman’s decision to reduce the area by 90%. Later, the Elbe Valley near Dresden was canceled in 2009 after the construction of a four-lane bridge in the center of the region. According to UNESCO, any removal from the World Heritage List is a “loss to the international community”.
British news agencies reported that Liverpool Mayor Joan Anderson described the World Heritage Committee’s decision as “incomprehensible”. The city is considering appealing the decision. According to Anderson, the last visit to UNESCO was a decade ago: “No matter what happens, Liverpool will always be a World Heritage City.”
