More than 6,000 people have submitted responses to a public consultation exercise over the future of St Luke’s Church in Liverpool.

The public consultation followed a commitment from Mayor Joe Anderson to keep the so-called Bombed Out Church in public ownership and secure a viable future for the building.

The consultation launched on 20th August and ran for six weeks to gauge views on how it can be preserved as a living war memorial, the type of events that should be held there and what further facilities or possible development should be carried out.

The Council will now compile the results and publish a summary in the next month, with the results used as the basis to make decisions about its future. It could include seeking expressions of interest for the appointment of an occupier/operator to run the site in the new year. The successful party will have to demonstrate that they can offer a viable future for the site, in line with the results of the public consultation.

Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Malcom Kennedy said:

“It is clear from the response we have received that there is a great deal of love and affection for St Luke’s.

“The number of responses we have received demonstrates the importance of this historic site to the people of Liverpool.

“We will now start analysing the responses and the results will inform the future use of the site.”

It comes as the city council prepares to commence the first phase of a three phase project on 14 October to repair the structure of the Church, funded jointly with Historic England.

The structural works will mean that the Church and gardens will be closed to protect public health and safety.

A restoration Open Day will be held during the works to allow members of the public to visit the site and find out more about the restoration process – details of how to book a place will be released in the near future.