A new public consultation is seeking the views of people in Liverpool on how future development schemes should impact on local environments. Tony McDonough reports

People living in Liverpool are being asked their views on how future development schemes can improve their surrounding environment.

Liverpool City Council has launched a six-week consultation on its draft Public Realm Strategy which runs until Monday, May 9. The public can go online to read the document and give their feedback at: www.liverpool.gov.uk/publicrealmconsultation

It has been devised in collaboration with local communities, businesses and major stakeholders across the city and aims to ensure the delivery of high quality public realm across the whole city.

The strategy also sets out a major shift by the council to embrace the idea of ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ and by being more inclusive it’s also a key aim of the Mayoral ‘Triple Lock’, which is focused on people, planet and equality.

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With amenities a short distance away, this strategy will encourage more walking and cycling and will help support Liverpool’s ambition to become a UNICEF child-friendly city.

This approach will also seek to ensure developers deliver quality schemes that fit the city’s vision through the introduction of a ‘design ‘toolkit’ for different types of spaces including streets, parks and squares. Developers will in future be required to show how these design requirements are embedded into their proposals.

Following the consultation the council will aim for the strategy to be formally adopted. It will then be used to guide all future planning applications and will ensure developments are designed with these key principles embedded.

If adopted, the strategy would be legally binding as a Supplementary Planning Document and would also underpin the city’s recently approved Local Plan. The Public Realm Strategy is seen as a key part of the city council’s placemaking programme which is focused on three major priorities :

• To attract inward investment.
• To encourage healthy and active lifestyles.
• To improve climate resilience through increased green infrastructure.

The strategy also sets out how it will connect neighbourhoods across Liverpool by introducing a city-wide network of connected green spaces, community networks to encourage walking and cycling and a ‘green city centre’ designed for people over vehicles.

Cllr Sarah Doyle, Cabinet member for Development and Economy, said: “I want Liverpool to be defined by how inclusive our neighbourhoods are – every bit as much as we are renowned for our world-class cultural heritage.

“Liverpool’s future should have quality public realm written right through it and it’s vital our residents help shape the spaces they live, travel, work and play in. I urge all residents to have their say and get involved in our public consultation.”