City eyesore can be remodelled, say urban experts.

Byline: BY DAVID BARTLETT Daily Post Staff

A CAMPAIGN to save one of Liverpool's most hated buildings has been launched by a group of architects and urban designers.

The group is calling for English Partnerships (EP) and Liverpool Vision to abandon their plans to demolish the 13-storey Concourse House and re-clad the exterior and refurbish the interior instead.

A plan to build a new 27-storey tower in its place was scrapped last year because costs had soared while there was a delay in compulsory purchasing the required property.

The 1960s tower in Lime Street, which is currently wrapped with huge banners promoting Capital of Culture, is due to be knocked down before next January in time for public realm works.

Crumbling shops masking the front of Lime Street Station will also be demolished to reveal the arched end of the listed Victorian station.

A new plaza at the front of the station will be created to improve pedestrian access.

The campaign, which has the backing of urban policy specialist Tony Siebenthaler and former Liverpool John Moores University Head of School Professor Ken Martin, last night said that to demolish a structurally sound building and replace it with nothing is a waste of money. The group plans to make its case in the coming weeks to EP, Vision, and councillors and has not ruled out applying to have the building listed.

It also argues that knocking down the building runs contrary to sustainability and will actually give greater visual prominence to the "unattractive" student accommodation blocks to the rear of Lime Street.

Last night, EP said the overwhelming view from the public was that Concourse House, which never operated to full capacity throughout its commercial life, should be demolished.

Eliot Lewis-Ward, English Partnerships' area director, said: "The decision to demolish Concourse House was taken following extensive consultation with the public and businesses over the best way to regenerate the Lime Street Gateway.

"Concourse House once topped a citywide 'blot on the landscape' poll.

"It is very unlikely to be commercially possible to reclad and refurbish the tower.

"Even if the tower were reclad, it would still harm the appearance of the station and the Cultural Quarter around St George's Hall."

He said there had been extensive consultation with public bodies in the city to ensure a high quality gateway to the city centre was created.

Concourse House, designed by leading modernist architect Richard Seifert, was identified as the city's least favourite building during a consultation by Liverpool Vision a number of years ago.

Jon Egan, director of October Communications, who is spearheading the campaign, said: "No-one will shed a tear for the shops in front of Lime Street station. Their removal will open up views of the magnificent station arches and create a spectacular public space for people arriving in the city, but the decision to demolish the tower is totally illconceived.

"With a modicum of imagination it would be possible to create a distinctive and attractive structure. Regeneration chiefs should at least be inviting creative contemporary architects to explore this option before pressing ahead with unnecessary and costly demolition."

Professor Martin, who is working on a new theatre in New Brighton, said: "The problem with the building really surrounds its base and lower floors.

"A study aimed at re-working the building's base, re-cladding the elevations and even adding a few additional floors should certainly be considered.

"This building could become an attractive feature in a prominent gateway location.

"Facade treatments are much more sophisticated now than they used to be, if you reclad it you would not know it was not a modern building. To knock it down and replace it with a plaza is a retreat from urban values.

"An imaginative use and recladding could make a real contribution to Liverpool."

He said it would be ideally placed for commercial uses like a hotel.

Mr Siebenthaler said: "The city has recently been lauding its new-found 'green' credentials, but here they are proposing to demolish a structurally sound building rather than refurbish.

"Admittedly lots of people say that they don't like the current building, but I hear very few people saying it is in the wrong place.

"Now that they are not going to proceed with a new, taller tower, surely it makes most sense to retain the current Concourse House, re-clad it and maybe add some extra storeys.

"The building could be retrofitted to good ecological standards, like the CIS in Manchester was."

Manchester's CIS building was clad in solar panels, helping to meet its energy needs.

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CAPTION(S):

'Hated' building - Concourse House, in Lime Street; The CIS tower, in Manchester