History in the making
18 Oct 2006
ECHO photographer Jason Roberts used a chartered helicopter to capture the dramatic changes to the city's skyline.
THESE pictures show for the first time how Liverpool is changing like never before.
Each picture tells the story of ongoing development on a scale unimaginable only a decade ago.
At the heart of this urban renaissance is Grosvenor's sprawling Liverpool One site.
A cog on which Liverpool's retail sector will soon turn, Liverpool One may currently be little more than a 42-acre building site but by 2008 it will be one of the biggest retail developments in Europe.
Seen from the sky, the scale of Liverpool One is breathtaking. Eleven mammoth cranes are towering over hundreds of construction workers.
Roadworks and traffic jams in the Big Dig may be a bitter medicine to swallow now.
But in the long-term the dream is that Liverpool is doing the kind of work which will close the door on decades of decline and open up a new vista to prosperity.
Liverpool has, of course, enjoyed eras of growth and prosperity before - but never on this scale.
Liverpool council historian Steve Binns believes the Big Dig represents the most intense and significant period of development in the city's history.
He says: "Even if we look back to Liverpool's golden era in the 19th century, there has never been such a concentration of investment and development. We really are witnessing history in the making."
Not everyone is convinced, of course.
Critics have continually questioned all aspects of the Big Dig and will, justifiably, continue to do so.
Doubts have been expressed and fingers pointed at Liverpool's recent inability to shift major projects from the drawing board to the ground.
But the Big Dig is one major project which is undoubtedly happening.
Liverpool One is just one element of an enormous £3bn programme to transport the city centre from here to modernity.
The long-awaited Kings Dock Arena provides the most telling evidence of the progress that has already been made.
From 500ft in the air it is already an impressive sight, even though it remains 15 months away from completion.
Liverpool is changing like never before. Of that there can be no doubt.
Some of the major development schemes under way or about to begin in Liverpool city centre:
Paradise Project
Completion date: Summer 2008, but earlier for certain parts of project
Cost: £900m
Status: On site
The scale of Grosvenor's Liverpool One development is enormous - 42 acres, six districts, more than 1.6m sq ft of shopping space, gardens and parks, public spaces, hotels and 600 apartments.
Dateline for dream
April 1999: Liverpool city council votes to put together a redevelopment plan for the Paradise Street area.
October 1999: Potential development partners short-listed.
March 2000: Grosvenor selected.
April - September 2000: Masterplan created in consultation with stakeholders.
January 2001: Planning application submitted.
May 2001: Public exhibition gives the people of Liverpool the chance to see the plans for themselves.
October 2001: Planning application amended to reflect public feeling.
September 2002: Liverpool's planning committee approve Grosvenor application.
Autumn 2003: Agreements signed with anchor tenants and negotiations with existing property owners and occupiers get under way. Public inquiry into compulsory purchase and road closure orders.
March 2004: Archaeological investigations begin.
November 2004: Work gets underway on the scheme
January 2005: The Duke of Westminster promises the Paradise Street would be ready by 2008.
November 2005: The Grosvenor project is renamed Liverpool One.
September 2006: Grosvenor agree to shoulder bill for £90m costs overrun.
By Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo
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