What will be 2008’s legacy?

Sep 3 2008 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

PROPERTY professionals from the North West will next week debate what legacy Liverpool’s Capital of Culture will leave in the city.

The Liverpool & Manchester Property Forum is holding its annual conference in Liverpool next Wednesday to discuss the long-term impact of this year’s festivities on the city’s regeneration.

The event, dubbed “The morning after the night before: The importance of legacy for world cities”, will attract speakers including English Cities Fund chief executive Lesley Chalmers and Liverpool Vision chief executive Jim Gill.

The event will include three tours, organised by Liverpool Vision, of three key regeneration areas in the city – Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One shopping and leisure development, the commercial district and St Paul’s Square, and the waterfront.

Matthew Battle, of Liverpool & Manchester Property Forum, said: “The idea of the event is ‘beyond 2008’.

“Yes, there’s been a huge amount of effort and investment this year, but what’s next? The city has to keep going.

“Schemes like Grosvenor have already been a success, but there’s lots going on in Liverpool.”

The conference will be held at The Racquets Club, in Chapel Street. St Paul’s Square will be the focus of one discussion, which will decide whether the development is “probably the best business district in the North” and a credible rival to developments such as Spinningfields, in Manchester. Law firm Hill Dickinson recently moved to St Paul’s Square and its operations director Keith Feeny will give his perspective on the move.

Delegates will be able to share their opinions on the future of Liverpool by taking part in the “LMPF Conference Charrette.” Organisers say a charrette is a word “used to describe the process that brings clients, design teams and stakeholders together at the beginning of a project to begin open conversation and an exchange of ideas.”

A pre-conference dinner will be held at The Racquets Club on Tuesday evening.

The property forum, founded in 2006, alternates between Liverpool and Manchester.

The theme of the 2006 event in Liverpool was “Can Liverpool become a world city”, while last year’s event in Manchester was called “Welcome to doughnut city”.

For information or to reserve a place at the conference, visit www.lmpf.co.uk

alistairhoughton