Liverpool ONE - Something We Can All Be Proud Of
For the past 99 years - well, that's how it feels - those of us who have been travelling in and out of Liverpool on a daily basis, fighting through the 'big dig' and with the army of traffic wardens, have been told by the powers that be 'no pain, no gain'.
Now, as Liverpool ONE unveils phase one of its billion pound plus retail, leisure and commercial development, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
Liverpool ONE, or the Paradise project, is responsible for regenerating a massive 42 acres of the city centre, creating new shops, leisure and living facilities, as well as revitalizing the five acre Chavasse Park.
Over the lifetime of the scheme, 3,000 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs will have been created, with Liverpool ONE working in partnership with local agencies to ensure that most of those permanent jobs go to local people.
Liverpool ONE comprises six distinct districts, 30 individually designed buildings, 1.6 million sq. ft. of retail space, a 14 screen cinema, 230,000 sq. ft. of restaurants, cafes and bars, together with more than 600 new apartments, two hotels, offices and a new public transport interchange.
This is the single biggest investment that has been made in Liverpool, and we have a duty not just to celebrate it, but to maximize the opportunities it affords to us as a city.
When people talk about the legacy of 2008, it is this private sector-led project that will provide us with the platform for a sustainable and stable economy, not the appearance of two former Beatles who, love them or loathe them are, lets face it, well past their 'best by' date!
To help take full advantage of the Paradise project, we can do a number of simple things, and quickly. We have to recognize that the local jobs market will be dominated by the service sector, and train people accordingly.
We must market and promote our new offering effectively, but also work with the independent retail sector outside of the Liverpool ONE area, so that they too benefit from the thousands of new visitors that we expect will be attracted into the city by the new scheme.
It will be a travesty if those retailers who have stuck with the city and suffered the pain, are still no better off and see none of the promised gain.
Additionally, to help attract visitors to the independent retail locations, the council should offer free parking in those areas, at weekends at least, even if only for a short term period.
And we should be proud that our city is now the home to one of the biggest and most impressive regeneration schemes in Europe!
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Frank McKenna
Frank Mckenna is the founder of Downtown Liverpool in Business, the successful networking group which aims to give business professionals a voice in the city.
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I beg to differ, the shops are awful, just a series of franchises within what was initally a special store (John Lewis), George Henry Lees. who will be spinning in his grave at what has happened to the store he began in Liverpool and the fact that the original store is not going to be a clasy store either in its new life.