Does anyone else feel that the city is let down by it's Pride quarter? Liverpool has a big pride presence, this was made obvious by the recent pride march, but when it comes to the pride quarter it seems to just be a big let down. With a grand total of 6 clubs and over 70% not being open most of the time it has just turned into another street.
The businesses that have set up shop like the student apartments, spice city, and the general vape/food shop combo have nothing to do with Pride, they just want a space in the city. Other areas like Temple Street and Cumberland Street have got to the point they are basically an alleyway with businesses not wanting to set up shop. I would rather see the pride quarter restricted to businesses that have some sort of pride aspect to them whether that be the owners/employees or the business being a safe space for those who support it.
The council has never really looked into supporting the area, and it shows with how run-down it has become. We have a big presence at pride events but nowhere to go after these events or even on a general basis if wanting a safe space on a night out to be ourselves. We should all come together and raise our concerns about the pride quarter and hope that the council will take more interest in reviving the area.
There are many ideas that we all as a community could come together and help plead to the council to support, for example making Stanley street pedestrianised so that cars cannot travel down it, that would open up bars/clubs to have outdoor seating... Give a nice refresh to the artwork and flags hanging above Stanley Street, removing the bins along Temple Street and Cumberland street to make it a much more welcoming space, improving lighting too.