Liverpool Port area no longer a UNESCO World Heritage Site: 'New football stadium destroys exceptional value'

The British city of Liverpool is no longer a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The organization decided on Wednesday during a secret meeting in China. New buildings such as the Everton Football Stadium destroy the exceptional value of the city.

UNESCO speaks of “irreversible loss”. According to the organisation, the Victorian docks on Liverpool’s waterfront in particular have been “severely damaged” by the construction of a football stadium: “Outstanding universal value has been destroyed. There is a great loss of credibility and integrity.”

For Liverpool, the decision is a humiliating slap to deal with. In 2004, the city was awarded World Heritage status for its role as a major trading power during the British Empire and for the architectural beauty of its waterfront. Now Liverpool is only the third “monument” to be removed from the UNESCO list.

Mayor Joanne Anderson called the decision “disappointing”. “I am very disappointed by this decision to revoke its status as a World Heritage Site, a decade after UNESCO last visited the city.” She considers the appeal: “Our world heritage has never been in better shape. I have benefited from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment.”