 KEY projects promised as part of Liverpool's bid to become European Capital of Culture will be unfinished or still on the drawing board in 2008, a Daily Post survey reveals today. Some projects promised as part of the culture package may never see the light of day. The main public project due to be finished in 2008 will be the waterfront Kings Arena, but even that project has attracted criticism from councillors because some ancillary schemes linked to the Kings Dock site will not be ready in 2008. Grosvenor, building the biggest public project, the £900m Paradise Street Project, has asked for more time to complete the scheme. Other projects will still be under way or gathering dust. Last night, the city council's executive member for special initiatives, Cllr Mike Storey, said: "We should be celebrating what we have managed to achieve in such a few years. Our bid programme for Capital of Culture was drawn up seven years ago. Even so, people coming to Liverpool now are staggered at our progress." Labour leader Cllr Joe Anderson was scathing at the "spectacular failure" to fulfil the promises made in the run-up to the culture crown. "Hundreds of thousands of people coming to Liverpool in 2008 don't want to be greeted by cranes and building sites. "The promises have quite simply not been kept because eyes were not kept on the ball," he said last night. In its bid document to the Department of Culture, the city council and its backers outlined a number of commitments expected to be finished as the city celebrates its year as European Capital of Culture. This is what the bid document boldly stated: "By 2008, both football giants (Liverpool and Everton) expect to be in new homes - Liverpool at Anfield in a new stadium and Everton in the new waterfront stadium arena at Kings Dock. The Wavertree multi-sports complex will be completed, the Fourth Grace will be open and a new small-scale arena built for smaller championships. Targets will be set and they will be monitored properly." The Everton arena plan for Kings Dock was abandoned, Liverpool will not kick a ball in a new arena until August 2009 at the very earliest, assuming the plan goes ahead. Will Alsop's Fourth Grace, which should now be nearing completion, was abandoned. Even the successor to the Fourth Grace, the so-called X building housing a Museum of Liverpool will not open its doors until 2010 at the earliest. | 
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