Liverpool owes a ‘debt of gratitude’ to agency for renaissance of city centre

Mar 28 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

Only now can we admit how bad it really was. Markets had stopped working. It was like Poland,” Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive, Tesco, Liverpool Vision board member

“Arriving at Lime Street was dismal. The quality of the built environment was visibly poor. More important the underpinning foundations were poor.”

Colin Hilton, chief executive, Liverpool City Council

“We were mad to say that in six years we would build two million sq ft of retail, re-do St George’s and the Bluecoat, build a commercial district, transform the public realm, and transform the waterfront. Anywhere else would have taken 15 years. But we did it.”

Cllr Mike Storey, executive member regeneration, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Vision board member

“Vision was one of the factors that got us to be serious about Liverpool.”

Rod Holmes, project director, Liverpool One

“Liverpool feels very different from nine years ago. The atmosphere was very negative – even if there was a glimmer of hope. Now it is completely different and there is optimism. Liverpool is becoming successful, even if there is a long way to go.”

Louise Ellman, MP for Riverside, Liverpool Vision board member

“10 years ago £100,000 investment would be a coup for Liverpool. Now we get millions.”

Cllr Warren Bradley, Leader, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Vision board member

“The city centre acted as a catalyst to boost the confidence of the private sector.”

Steve Broomhead, chief executive, Northwest Regional Development Agency, Liverpool Vision board member

“What does Liverpool Vision do? We coordinate. We persuade. We organise. We take potential investors through the whole process.”

Sir Joe Dwyer, chairman, Liverpool Vision

“We were going around in circles. Liverpool Vision was one of the few organisations we could get sense out of.”

John Milligan, developer, Metquarter