New design standards for student accommodation in Liverpool are being called for at today’s (9 November) Liverpool City Council meeting.

Councillor Richard Kemp says it is vital all new student housing reflects the surrounding architecture in the city centre and has placed the item on the meeting agenda.

Citing the recent student developments around the site of the former Futurist cinema on Lime Street as examples, Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Kemp believes schemes which fail to do this pose a threat to Liverpool’s heritage.

The councillor also called for the creation of a policy which will allow such housing to be converted into non-student apartments in the event of Merseyside’s student numbers decreasing.

Cllr Kemp believes Britain’s vote to leave the European Union in June means it is “highly likely that the number of foreign and UK students will decrease” in Liverpool.

The councillor is also requesting that Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson establishes a broader Architectural Standards Commission which will encourage developers to “adopt high standards of construction and more innovative designs” and help preserve the city’s World Heritage status.

Furthermore, Cllr Kemp is urging RIBA, the Merseyside Civic Society and the architectural and planning departments of the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University work with the council and “lead a crusade of building design to ensure Liverpool’s place as a heritage city to visit for decades to come”.

Liverpool has been on UNESCO’s ‘In Danger’ list of threatened World Heritage Sites in need for conservation measures for the past five years.

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