OREANDA-NEWS. UNESCO's decision to strip Liverpool of World Heritage status is linked to a massive construction project, including in the dock area.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed the British port city of Liverpool from the list of World Heritage Sites. The decision was made on Wednesday, July 21, at the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee at the Center for Culture and Art in Fuzhou, China. The event is partially held in a virtual format.

As reminded by the dpa agency, this is only the third such case since the adoption of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972.

The decision was made in connection with the Liverpool Waters construction project, which experts expect will entail a significant change in the city center. The initiative, in particular, involves the construction of a number of high-rise buildings.

According to experts, the work will lead to a large-scale reconstruction of the historic docks located to the north of the city center, as a result of which the zone will be divided into separate sections.

With six districts in the historic center, as well as the dock area, the city was considered a historical monument, testifying to the development of one of the largest shopping centers in the world in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Liverpool has been a World Heritage Site since 2004. As noted in the UN, the city played an important role in the expansion of the British Empire, was an important point of departure for most emigrants from Northern Europe to America. Historic landmarks in the city include numerous commercial, administrative and public buildings, including the St George's Hall Concert Hall.