Summer 2010 Edition Welcome to the first edition of the new Merseyside Civic Society (MCS) newsletter. Our vision is for a Merseyside that is full of activity, diversity and beauty, and an attractive place in which to live, work and play. It is a place of which its citizens are rightly proud, and a place that people want to visit, especially to appreciate its buildings, facilities and public spaces. We hope that this newsletter will help to keep you informed of the work of the Society and keep you up-to-date with what is going on.
What is Merseyside Civic Society? MCS was established in 1938 out of a concern for the built environment of our city. As a registered charity, the Society is dedicated both to preserving and celebrating our built heritage and to campaigning for new schemes to be of the very highest standard and quality possible. Membership of the Society is open to anyone sharing our ideals and details of how to join can be found in the Subscriptions section below as well as the MCS website (see below).
New Awards announced On 1 July, the Merseyside Civic Society was delighted to announce the launch of the 2010 Merseyside Civic Society (MCS) Awards. These awards aim to recognise the very best in architecture, design, planning, landscape and public art throughout Merseyside. MCS Awards are given to projects of the highest quality of design, but only if they are judged to have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community. We were also delighted to announce the launch of the Civic Pride Award that will be voted on exclusively by the Merseyside public on projects that make them proud of where they live. All nominations are to be made by 31 August. Announcing the MCS Awards, Vice President Paula Ridley said “The MCS Annual Awards will be all about making a difference to the community. The awards are aimed at encouraging good design and to show that the society is keen to highlight the positives and what can be achieved - not just to criticise. I believe that by highlighting good design, we can help people to appreciate what is around them and to look more closely at their surroundings across Merseyside. All too often, we take for granted what is around us. Hopefully, these awards will help people to appreciate what they see.� MCS is hoping that the awards will become appreciated by everyone across Merseyside, not only by architects and developers, but by the general public. To this end we have created the new MCS Civic Pride Award. MCS Newsletter
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Summer 2010
The Merseyside Civic Society is also encouraging people to nominate their best building for the awards. We want members of the public to nominate their favourite open space, piece of art or anything that gives them pride in where they live.
consultations on local policy matters. This is followed by a Topical Notes and Jottings section featuring a series of short items on recent developments, initiatives and concerns, plus information about two recent publications that are likely to be of interest.
MCS Chair, Dr Peter Brown said “we hope that these awards become an established means of celebrating the best features of Merseyside. It is the society‟s chance to be positive and reach out to the community - to find out what they really think about something, and not what we are told they should think by local planners or architects”.
Particular attention is drawn to the immediate benefits that MCS members can enjoy as a consequence of MCS joining Civic Voice, notably the free day access pass that can be obtained to enable members to gain free entry to any National Trust property.
Further details of the award categories (New Building, Refurbishment, Public Space, Housing and Green Space – plus the Civic Pride Award) and the nomination procedure can be found in separately distributed documents and at the following website: www.mcsawards.org.uk
You may feel that the public realm improvements at the front of Lime Street Station are worthy of an award.
Chair’s Column Dr Peter Brown writes ... We hope that you like the new MCS Newsletter, the re-appearance of which is long overdue. It is our intention that it will make a regular appearance, on a quarterly basis. There is certainly plenty going on on which to report and comment, not least in view of the emergence of Civic Voice as the Liverpool-based successor organization to The Civic Trust and, of course, the aftermath of the national and local elections. Much of this initial Chair‟s Column is devoted to giving readers a flavour for the positions that have been adopted in the name of the Society in responses submitted recently to MCS Newsletter
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Further information is supplied about a new Corporate Membership scheme, as well as a reminder for current MCS members to ensure that they have renewed their subscriptions for 2010 – and to encourage the recruitment of new members, as well as seeking assistance in supporting the activities of the Society.
Consultation Responses Members will be aware that MCS is committed to offering constructive critical comment on matters of policy relating to planning, architectural, urban design and related matters that affect Merseyside. From time to time, such comments have been offered on planning applications for major developments on which MCS has been invited to offer a view. However, the recent period has offered a series of opportunities for an MCS view to be expressed in response to consultation procedures initiated by central and local government agencies. Here we hope that it will be helpful to outline how this process has been approached and to spell out some of the distinct positions that have been adopted, in the Society‟s name, in relation to a selection of the issues raised. I should like to suggest, without making too lofty a claim, that what has emerged from the various responses is a consistent and coherent set of principles that can be distinguished as an „MCS view‟ or philosophy. Further, we are hopeful that the positions adopted represent views with which many members can at least identify and which they would be prepared to support in open debate. The processes involved in generating a response are relatively straightforward. In relation to planning applications, when a Summer 2010
scheme on which comment is thought appropriate is identified, one of a „panel‟ of members is invited to draft a set of comments which are submitted, under the Chair‟s signature, after some modest amendment or tweaking. The typical process initiated when a policy consultation exercise is launched (e.g. the World Heritage Site Management Plan Supplementary Planning Document) is for a small group of MCS Council members to draft a set of comments which the Chair will subsequently edit or „knock into shape‟ before submission to the appropriate agency. Core Strategy Preferred Options In the Spring we responded to two major consultation exercises which were, in many respects, closely related. The earlier document was concerned with the Liverpool Core Strategy Revised Preferred Options Report, representing the latest stage in the process of producing the new development plan for Liverpool, known as the Local Development Framework (LDF). This is to be the successor to the city‟s Unitary Development Plan that was finally adopted in 2001. A key driver of the strategy is / was(?) the need to accommodate the housing targets set out in the North West Regional Spatial Strategy, with Liverpool needing to achieve a 40k new housing target by 2026. The preferred options between which a choice is to be made related to the proportions of new housing that should be supplied in the city centre, inner and outer areas. Our preference came down strongly in favour of the so-called „focused regeneration‟ option. This would see a relatively high proportion of the new housing (70%) steered towards the city centre and inner areas, with the more remote outer areas taking the remainder. For this to be achieved, we argued that there needs to be an explicit strategy of restoring population densities in specific areas, with a particular emphasis on locations well served by existing transport nodes and radial routes, especially rail and bus, also, eventually, tram. Importance is attached to encouraging the concentration of high density development in close proximity to principal public transport routes – to make the latter more effective and reduce dependency on the car. We further MCS Newsletter
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argue that this dependency, and overall scale of travel demand, can be further reduced by the adoption of a more radical mixed-use policy, whereby a variety of (minimally intrusive) local employment opportunities are located in predominantly residential areas. The document claimed that “the Liverpool City Region has been successful in adopting award-winning residential area designs”. Our response to this claim was phrased as follows: “However, one must observe that their impact has clearly been rendered less effective than it should have been by their being lost amidst the underwhelming presence of so many disappointingly bland new schemes. The opportunity to create the „great places‟ that the city deserves has too often been lost to the developers‟ delivery of off-the-shelf solutions to the „newly cleared site‟ challenge.”
Local Transport Plan (LTP3) Some broadly similar points were made in the later consultation (in April) on the Merseyside Local Transport Plan (LTP3) in responding to questions posed about the proposed philosophy underlying the „building of a new mobility culture‟ that can underpin the plan to be produced later this year. Here we again stressed the need “to recognise the unique opportunity that the area has to take advantage of its enormously valuable inheritance of both transport infrastructure and associated economic potential that is attributable to its genesis as a port-based city region. Bold strategic thinking is required to rise to the challenge that this poses – thinking that embraces both transport and a broader spatial planning perspective that seeks to encourage the complementary re-configuration of the location and density of residential and other development that is to be served by the transport networks.” Summer 2010
In this connection, we urged “that a wholehearted commitment should be given to what in the US is termed Transit Oriented Development (TOD), a concept to which American cities are belatedly waking up in an effort to reduce car dependency.”
something valued locally which is at risk, the time is ripe for a powerful new grassroots voice. Civic Voice will turn local action into a national movement to make the places where we all live more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive.”
This idea is being examined in more detail in a project that is being undertaken by Cass Associates, in collaboration with the Department of Civic Design, with assistance from Merseyrail and Merseytravel.
We are delighted that our Vice President (and former MCS Honorary Secretary) Paula Ridley CBE has been appointed as the first ever Chair of Civic Voice.
A group of five undergraduate planning students is undertaking a project in fulfilment of a workplace placement requirement during the summer vacation before joining Year 4. This includes a survey to audit features of a selection of Merseyrail stations and the identification of opportunities to improve ease of access, the range of facilities offered at or near the station and scope for high density development to be accommodated nearby.
Merseyside Civic Society joins Civic Voice Civic Voice, the new national charity for the civic society movement, has now come into existence and was formally launched in London on 17 April. Around 150 people attended the launch event to hear the keynote speakers, including Griff Rhys Jones and architect Sir Terry Farrell, talk about the importance of sustaining a strong civic society movement.
Topical Notes and Jottings Lewis’s We were pleased to write to English Heritage to endorse the views and concerns set out in a letter, from Chumki Bannerji and MCS Council member Felicity Wren, urging a review of the massive scale of internal transformation (demolition?) proposed by Merepark, the owners of the Lewis‟s Grade II listed building. The £37m project is intended to reshape the building in anticipation of Merepark‟s massive £160m Central Village scheme on the neighbouring site. We were amazed to discover that the proposed works were granted planning permission as long
ago as June 2007 as we could not recall receiving the customary prior notification of it going to planning committee.
Griff Rhys Jones said, “Civic Voice is being launched as the nation debates its political future and communities are campaigning for more control over what happens in their local area. With three in four people identifying MCS Newsletter
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Chumki and Felicity‟s spelled out at length and in some detail the specific features of the building that are under immediate threat. A dramatic aspect of the scheme is the driving through the building of a „new street‟, from the familiar corner beneath the „exceedingly bare‟ Jacob Epstein statue, in the form of a wide pedestrian route into the Village site. Summer 2010
Heritage at Risk 2010
Liverpool: Shaping the City
English Heritage’s invaluable audit of Heritage at Risk was published in early July and provides new insight into the state of the nation’s historic assets.
Members have already been alerted to the publication, in April this year, of the above book by Stephen Bayley, with its subtitle of „The story of a city whose architecture has once again captured the public‟s imagination‟. It is published by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and can be bought, among other places, at the RIBA bookshop at Milk & Sugar in Wood Street, priced at £19.95
The register includes details of all those listed buildings, schedule monuments, registered parks and gardens and conservation areas which are at risk as a result of neglect and decay, or have been assessed as vulnerable to becoming so. This is the third year that English Heritage has published the annual register and it includes well known local landmarks, including in its 2010 Heritage at Risk register the bombed out church, St Luke‟s (see image), the Wellington Rooms, the Royal Insurance building, and the Church of St Andrew. The full report, and national+ regional summaries are available
Stephen Bayley is as effusively enthusiastic as ever about the city in which he grew up. The book is superbly illustrated with an amazing set of photographs by Paul McMullin. Readers may recall that Paul provided some outstanding photographs that illustrated the January 2008 Capital of Culture special issue of the Architectural Review that was edited by Brian Hatton.
Life After Pathfinder Readers my have received some advanced notice of the publication of the report, by Mark Hines Architects, commissioned by SAVE Britain‟s Heritage, on the prospects for adapting, upgrading and remodelling housing earmarked for demolition. The fuller title of „Reviving Britain‟s Terraces: Life After Pathfinder‟ conveys the report‟s message.
at http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ publications/har-2010-report/.
This is a message that MCS has been pleased to endorse over many years – reflecting the grave concerns that we have frequently voiced over the misguided policy over-emphasis on clearance and rebuild, pursued in the name of the Housing Market Renewal (Pathfinder) Initiative, where all reasoned argument points to the evident virtues of refurbishment as the first priority. This can serve both to retain the essentially attractive character of so many of the city‟s residential neighbourhoods and to hold together the residents of such areas who can thus be encouraged to share an interest in sustaining their community. As we recover from the effects of the recession, our historic buildings will be facing testing times. What do you think MCS should be doing about the buildings at risk in Liverpool? Would you be willing to join a group to look at possible new uses for old buildings? MCS Newsletter
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We look forward to further opportunities to support the more widespread adoption of the principles set out in the report in seeking to transform traditional terraced streets into housing of high energy efficiency, creating a wider range of accommodation choices and forming exemplar future „eco-communities‟. Summer 2010
fete delight for all the family, raising awareness of what‟s green and going on in this city!
Heritage Open Days The Heritage Open Days initiative celebrates England‟s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. Every year, on four days in September, buildings of every age, style and function throw open their doors. It is a once-a-year chance to discover hidden architectural treasures and enjoy a wide range of tours, events and activities which bring to life our local history and culture. In Merseyside there is plenty to see, with a substantial number of buildings opening in Liverpool, Birkenhead and St Helens Over 100 civic societies across the country get involved in their local Heritage Open Days. Do you think that MCS should be following suit and organising tours etc? More information at http://www.heritage opendays.org.uk/dir ectory/county/Mers eyside
The 'tester' website is: www.thisisgreenliverpool.com/ A Facebook entry point is found at: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10000091 5264329&ref=profile Funded by Liverpool Vision, supported by The School for Social Entrepreneurs.
Special Offer : for Civic Voice Members As a special offer to the members of civic societies that have joined Civic Voice in its first year, the National Trust has offered to provide a free day access pass to its properties (one per member). This will provide free access to any National Trust property during normal opening hours, subject to a small number of restrictions.
This is Green Liverpool (.com) This is Green Liverpool is a brand new events management social enterprise based in Liverpool. Director of the enterprise, Tim Cope, says that it aims to provide a creative, innovative and ethical events solution and comprehensive online resource for Liverpool's Green Community. He describes it as “an asset-locked social enterprise, built on principles of accountability, transparency and opportunities creation, formed by three former civil servants, recently made redundant following the recession and subsequent public spending cuts, to create a sustainable and profitable opportunity for all, whilst also providing social, environmental and economic benefits for green causes, businesses and initiatives in Liverpool.” On Saturday 21 August 2010, in Liverpool City Centre, This is Green Liverpool is planning to launch its first event entitled „This is Green Liverpool Showcase‟. This is to feature music, art, drama, dance, craft, information plus weird and wonderful acts from across Merseyside. It will be a street MCS Newsletter
Details are being confirmed ... and more information will be released shortly ... but you can be the first to know by joining the Facebook or Twitter groups, or checking out the „tester‟ website for updates as they happen. Take Pride in a Green City!
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MCS has now joined Civic Voice so members of the Society are eligible to take advantage this offer. The pass is transferable and can be given to friends or family if a member of the Society is already a member of the National Trust. So, if you plan to make a trip to a National Trust property further afield, why not obtain your pass now? How to obtain your free day access pass The free pass is available to download by members by using the following link www.civicvoice.org.uk/nationaltrustcivicvoice offer. If you do not have internet access, you can obtain your free day pass by sending a stamped addressed envelope to Civic Voice, Unit 101, 82 Wood Street, The Tea Factory, Liverpool, L1 4DQ. You will need to provide your contact details and indicate that you are a member of Merseyside Civic Society. You can find a full list of National Trust properties at www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Summer 2010
NW.acts This umbrella organisation for civic and amenity societies in the North West, held its Annual General Meeting in Preston on 3 July. Susan Spibey, in her capacity as the MCS representative on the NW.acts Committee, reports that the AGM agreed that the organisation should be renamed as the NW Association of Civic Trusts and Societies (rather than the former Civic Trust Societies) – so still NW.acts, and MCS is a member. The Association‟s role is to seek ways of assisting local societies to collaborate, coordinate their activities and share experience in addressing local issues and challenges faced by individual local organisations. An excellent example of how this has been achieved is in sharing advice on conservation area management issues, as demonstrated in the helpful May 2009 special issue of NW.acts newsletter. For more information on NW.acts activities, see www.nwacts.org.uk.
Gathering of Merseyside civic societies in Oxton Plans are in hand to hold a further meeting this autumn in Oxton to which the different civic societies across Merseyside will be invited, to learn more about the activities of The Oxton Society. This is an opportunity to meet other local groups and find out what they are up to, to talk about local issues and learn from each other‟s experience. If you wish to be involved let us know.
Find us on Facebook and Twitter?
As a registered charity, the Society relies on the subscriptions that it receives from its members for a large part of its income. By joining the Society as a corporate member you will be helping the Society to continue its good work in trying to ensure that Merseyside is an attractive place in which to live or work and that it is an area that appeals to visitors. Corporate membership benefits include: ● Your company name and logo in each issue of our new newsletter ● Your company name and logo permanently on the Merseyside Civic Society website with a direct link to your own site ● The opportunity to contribute articles to our newsletter and website ● Special networking lunches for corporate members ● Involvement in debates on the future of Merseyside ● A source of information on developments in the city ● The opportunity to serve the community through the work of the Society Corporate rates of membership subscription are set to reflect the size of the enterprise that will derive the above benefits, as follows: 1-5 employees : £30 6-10 employees : £50 11-100 employees : £100 Larger enterprises : £250 For more information email: pjbbrown@liv.ac.uk
Subscriptions
Some other civic societes are using Facebook & Twitter to communicate with their members and it is something that the MCS Council is exploring. Leeds Civic Trust currently has a dedicated site and Leicester Civic Society members are big “tweeters”. We are thinking these both may be good methods to engage with a wider audience and help spread the word and the work of the Society. If you have time to help to maintain a Facebook page, do let us know. MCS Newsletter
MCS Corporate Membership: enjoy the benefits of the new Corporate Membership scheme New
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Many thanks to all of you who have already renewed your subscriptions for 2010. Your continuing support is much appreciated and enables us to continue with our work. If you have not yet paid for 2010, please send a cheque, together with your name and address, for the appropriate amount (£7.50 unwaged/retired, £10 single, £15 joint) to: Dr David Massey, MCS Hon. Treasurer, The Gordon Stephenson Building, 74 Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZQ. Summer 2010
Civic Society events and talks – ideas welcome
MCS Council Members President : The Rt Hon the Earl of Derby
The MCS Council is considering what should be featured in a programme of events and visits for the coming year, reflecting the Society‟s main areas of concern - planning and architecture, heritage and civic pride. We should very much welcome ideas and thoughts from members. Are there buildings or places in Merseyside to which you would welcome an MCS organised tour and talk?
Chair : Dr Peter Brown email : pjbbrown@liv.ac.uk Vice Chair : Robin Riley Minutes Secretary : Dai Gwynne email : dai.gwynne@blueyonder.co.uk Hon. Treasurer : Dr David Massey email : dwmassey@liv.ac.uk
How You Can Help All those in sympathy with our aims will be warmly welcomed as members of the society. We keep in touch with our members through our quarterly newsletter and social and fundraising events.
Newsletter Editor : Felicity Wren email : felicityw@gmail.com Interest Champions City and Region : Dr Olivier Sykes email : ollys@liv.ac.uk Conservation and Heritage : Patrick Moran
We particularly welcome new members with practical and professional skills and expertise useful to furthering the Society‟s aims. Increasingly, through our new Corporate Membership Scheme, we are seeking to involve businesses and other organisations in our work to develop and improve the appearance, facilities and reputation of our city. Whether you are an individual or an organisation, we shall be delighted to hear from you. It does not matter if you cannot take an active part in our activities: your moral and financial support would be greatly appreciated. Your subscriptions will be used to cover the administrative costs incurred by the Society and to help to fund our projects. From time to time we may make charitable donations to other groups and causes that are in keeping with our own aims. We may also seek additional funding for MCS projects by applying for grants and securing sponsorship. E-newsletter We will also be circulating this newsletter in .pdf format as an email attachment. If you would be willing to receive it electronically – faster and in full colour – please email your details to Peter Brown, saving us postage. MCS Newsletter
Vice-Presidents : Paula Ridley CBE Professor John Tarn OBE
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Public Realm and Monuments : Robin Riley Parks and Suburban Heritage : Jonathan Brown email : jonathan.jrjbrown@gmail.com Other Members Hazel Beacon Kate da Cruz Jean Grant Brian Hatton Maggie Mullan Andrew Pearce Susan Spibey
Sue Carmichael Sarah-Jane Farr Ian Harvey Tony Moscardini Christian Nielsen Trevor Skempton Alistair Sunderland
For contact and other details : see the MCS website: www.merseysidecivicsociety.org.uk or for the Merseyside Civic Society Awards visit: www.mcsawards.org.uk This edition of the MCS Newsletter was jointly compiled by Felicity Wren, Ian Harvey and Peter Brown. Please send your comments, ideas and suggestions, or offers of material for future editions of the MCS Newsletter, to : Felicity Wren, MCS Newsletter Editor, 11a Upper Newington, Liverpool L1 2SR or email: felicityw@gmail.com
Summer 2010