Stanley Street Quarter Can Boost City Economy
• Quarter has potential to attract tourists and boost city’s economy
• Report says ‘gay village’ concept should be officially supported
• Area should be branded as Stanley Street Quarter to embrace all interests
Liverpool should tap into the potential economic benefits of one of the most diverse quarters in the city centre, a new report has said.
Feria Urbanism were commissioned to carry out the study to look at developing a vision and identity for the Stanley Street area.
The report recommends that the City Council and other public and private sector organisations should support the identity of Stanley Street as the centre of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) scene to enhance and promote both the area and the city as a whole and there should be official recognition of the quarter as Liverpool’s “gay village”.
However, it says the role of neighbouring streets, such as Cumberland Street and Eberle Street , should be recognised and that it be considered as a wider urban quarter which would be described as the “Stanley Street Quarter”. This would acknowledge that, as well as the LGBT offer, there are businesses which embrace wider interests.
Councillor Nick Small, city council cabinet member for employment and skills, said: “This is a very important piece of work on how the Stanley Street Quarter can develop in the future. It shows that the quarter can play an important role in the economic development of the city as a whole by attracting more tourists and visitors to the city. Other cities such as Brighton, Manchester and Birmingham have reaped the economic benefits of similar quarters and Stanley Street has the potential to more than match them.
“Stanley Street is a vibrant area but it has nowhere near reached its full potential. The proposals set out in this report have many interesting and original ideas about how its appeal can be extended and how it can be prompted.
“We now need to look at what is achievable and how best we can go about that. What is important is that we have the support of the various interests in the area about how we go forward.”
Councilor Ann O’Byrne, cabinet member for community safety, said: “As we are approaching the second Pride Festival in the city, it is an appropriate time to focus attention on what direction the Stanley Street quarter should take.
“The report makes it clear that while there is a great potential for this area, there is still a feeling that the city is less accepting of the LGBT community than other cities and we have to work hard with our partners and the community to counteract that.
“Buy adopting this area officially a gay quarter will be a great step forward . We want this to be a safe, lively and welcoming area for all communities.”
A wide-ranging consultation took place for the study involving the LGBT community, residents, business owners, the City Council and its partners
Among the other recommendations in the study are:
• Consideration should be given to establishing a Community Trust to speak with one voice for the quarter and take it forward. This approach would overcome any conflicts between business interests.
• Making changes to the design and architecture of Stanley Street including removing or restricting traffic to create space for events.
• Modifying individual buildings to have greater transparency, visibility and improved access.
• Demolishing a building to allow a public square to be created which would form the focus of attracting new investment|
• Widening the entertainment offer, which is currently focused on youth and during the night-time, through a number of “micro events” such as markets, pop-up shops and outdoor art exhibitions. This would attract new users and “increase a sense of quirkiness and culture” in the quarter.
• Develop links with other cities to share knowledge and ideas
• Working with existing hotel and new operators to secure a clearly branded “gay hotel”.
The report argues that moves such as this will help increase feelings of safety and security in the quarter.
It lists 48 actions which could be taken in the short, medium and long-term to take forward the proposals
The report has been welcomed by businesses in the area. Candice Fonseca, proprietor of Delifonseca, said: “Since Delifonseca opened on Stanley Street five years ago, the team and I have witnessed how the city has changed dramatically. However, in truth, Stanley Street has felt a little on the periphery of that rapid development and so the area is characterised by local independent businesses.
“The area is now ripe for a new approach and we at Delifonseca are particularly excited about the idea of ‘micro-events’ on Stanley Street in particular the re-siting of the Liverpool Farmers Market from Hope Street on a Sunday. We ourselves celebrated our fifth birthday by having a pop-up garden party in the street in early June and are currently frantically making preparations for Stanley Street Pride this coming weekend.
“The fact that the local LGBT community and businesses so quickly and efficiently organised a complementary Stanley Street Pride party when the news broke about the shift in location of the Liverpool Pride stage to the Pier Head shows just what a strong local community already exists.
“Anything that upgrades the area, drives traffic and increases visitor numbers to Stanley Street is fantastic.
“As a city centre dweller I am passionate about city living and I think that the ‘Stanley Street Quarter’ is a great example of where daytime businesses, the night-time economy and residents all exist cheek by jowl. The raft of proposals will not only help grow and put the gay scene on the national map, bringing much sought after tourism income, but also ensure that the quarter is attractive to all stakeholders providing a truly cosmopolitan and inclusive neighbourhood. We can’t wait. “
Adam Simpson from the Liverpool LGB&T said: “The Liverpool LGB&T network are fully supportive of the work Feria Urbanism carried out and are delighted to be working closely with the City Council to ensure that the actions identified are taken forward. Our members have identified the development of the Stanley Street Quarter as one of our priorities so we will be actively involved in progressing the actions identified.”
A report has been endorsed by the city council's cabinet which recommends backing the findings of the study. A steering group has been set up to take forward the strategy for the quarter and a number of quick win interventions are currently being looked at, including an events strategy, audit of signage, removal of redundant street signs and a branding consultation for the area.
The full report is avaialble here.
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