Scrawled with graffiti, rubbish littered across the ground and urine-stained walls - is the way people have described one part of Liverpool city centre some feel has been neglected.
Moorfields railway station is the entrance to Liverpool's Business Quarter and soon one of the main travel routes into the city for Eurovision goers. The area, known as the Historic Downtown neighbourhood, is home to the Town Hall and a large group of prestigious listed buildings.
But when passengers leave at the main Moorfields exit they are met by a litany of empty former office blocks that have been long deserted. Weeds grow through the cracked paving outside the former Yates's Wine Lodge, while the ground floor windows of 2 Moorfields, once a buzzing office hub, are covered in years of dust and grime.
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"I used to work down the road and have seen the area decline," said Lin Jarvis as she left Moorfields station. "They've concentrated on the Liverpool ONE area while others have been left behind. Hopefully they'll get around to doing things down this end of town.
"They did all this artwork didn't they," Ms Jarvis added, pointing at Yates's Wine Lodge, which was formerly home of Turning the Place Over - a unique piece of temporary artwork that saw a 26-tonne section of the building turn on a pivot. The artwork opened in May 2007 ahead of Liverpool's year as Capital of Culture - and remained until 2011.
"It looks really shabby," Ms Jarvis continued. "Tourists are coming in for Eurovision and what do they see first? That building."
"I don't pay much attention to the area when I get off the train because it's a bit of a state," Mike Hinks told the ECHO. "I normally come down this end of town, but I see the old wine lodge and just go that way or that way," he added gesturing left, towards Dale Street, and right up to Tithebarn Street.
"You can see the rubbish when you come out of the station. You look at Sandhills and the area around it and it's in a much better state. Even Central is better - here is a bit run down. It's not the best first impression - it's down to the developers to do something with it."
But development around Moorfields is slow going. A regeneration framework for Liverpool's Commercial Business District was put together by Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Business Improvement District Company in 2019 and adopted as part of the Local Plan supplementary documents last year, identifying the area as "a key gateway and transport hub with prominent commercial office offer".
The framework also noted plans to redevelop the areas opposite the station, currently being used as car parking, as well as improving the station's concourse to create "a sense of place and arrival and public grandeur at the ground floor". Earlier redevelopment plans date back further to 2012's city centre Strategic Investment Framework.
The plans said: "Moorfields station is a very important arrival point into the city centre for both shoppers and commercial district employees. There is a strategic requirement to improve and capitalise on the 'arrival experience' from Moorfields Station through the encouragement of neighbourhood retail and leisure opportunities. This in turn will influence property owners to improve their sites and buildings and encourage investment."
But over a decade on, the development around the area has yet to materialise. Nick Small, councillor for new ward City Centre North, told the ECHO he sees it as a key development site and the council needs to look at a "medium term plan for the area, particularly in terms of developments".
Cllr Small said: "It's a key development site so we could probably be doing a lot more with it as a city. We have a lot of vacant space being used as car park-type sites which probably isn't the best value for the area.
"We need to bring a residential population to the area which will solve some of the problems in terms of footfall. We see footfall in the area around commuter times but it's quiet for the rest of the week."
The councillor, who was yesterday elected into the new city ward, acknowledged the lack of redevelopment is linked to the appearance of the area. He added: "I think there are some quick wins that could improve the area around Moorfields which would make it more inviting and friendlier for people when they step off the train.
"Nice signage and some planters could pay dividends in terms of bringing in some new investment into the area."
One person who would welcome investment in the area is Dave Hardman, landlord at the Lion Tavern. The pub, complete with impressive mahogany bar and a vast selection of real ales and Irish whiskies - reportedly the most complete this side of Dublin - is a favourite for fans heading up to Anfield and Goodison Park.
Mr Hardman told the ECHO: "The area is getting worse and worse. If you step off the train at Moorfields you can barely see the Lion. You see a number of shabby buildings and a car park full of used needles and rubbish - it's more of a wildlife sanctuary.
"It's not a good look for the area. The old wine lodge has been derelict for so long it needs pulling down. You wouldn't be able to convert it in the condition it's in now."
Mr Hardman said a lot of the residential blocks are towards the waterfront or in the Pall Mall part of the city centre, while Covid-19 and the rise of home working has put significant dents in the footfall generated from the Business Quarter. The landlord, who has been at the helm of the pub since 2016, added: "We find people work in the office in the middle of the week and at home on Fridays.
"We get people coming in from the local hotels but our footfall is highest on match days. I know we'll be busy if there's an afternoon or evening match. We have Eurovision coming up but I don't know what our footfall will be like for it.
"I don't like to deal with unknowns. The area needs a bit of help but it feels like we're being ignored at the moment."
Cllr Small told the ECHO he hopes the reopening of the Municipal Building on Dale Street, formerly council-owned and now a hotel, will be a driving force in bringing confidence back to the area. He said: "I think the general confidence in the Historic Downtown area as well as the private landowners is holding back development in the area.
"The Municipal Building will unlock a lot of development potential in the area and I think you will see a lot of investment in the next three to five years. This used to be the commercial heart of Liverpool and I think the Municipal will help bring opportunities and also create a sense of place to reinvent the area."
Speaking regarding the Commercial District spatial regeneration framework (SRF), Billy Addy, CEO of Liverpool BID Company, told the ECHO the group paid 30% of the cost as they believed the area should be "strengthened and better connected". Mr Addy said: "There are many different partners involved but from BID’s perspective, our view was that Moorfields really needed to be included in this SRF to give it the focus it needed and to ensure it was top of the to do list for all the partners and voices invested in its regeneration.
"It’s a major entrance to the Commercial District and it’s vital the station is a gateway to development. For us at BID we’ve been working in the core areas we can around Moorfields, which includes extending the BID area to strengthen the Commercial District with the new Culture & Commerce BID, meaning we are able to invest more money in our services.
"Day to day we bring partners together for regular meetings - that includes Merseyside Police, British Transport Police, Liverpool City Council, Whitechapel - about the key ongoing issues in the area and working proactively. Our our role is also to engage with the owners of the buildings in the areas to facilitate change.
"On a medium to longer term, we work to attract inward investment, with events like MIPIM and with our global networks to promote Liverpool as a place to invest and do business. Our data contributes to the understanding of the economic health of the city and that’s part and parcel of making the offer of Liverpool as attractive as possible. We’re seeing increased investment in the Commercial District, especially around Exchange Station which can only have a positive impact on Moorfields."
Liverpool City Council also confirmed work was being carried out ahead of Eurovision to improve the appearance around the station. A spokesperson said: "We are working with partners to make sure that key gateways, including transport hubs, receive additional cleansing both in the run-up to, and during, Eurovision."
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