A bid of £19.2m has been submitted to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to breathe new life into a Liverpool city region town and now a public consultation has begun. Tony McDonough reports

Businesses, residents and visitors are being asked for their views on the £19.2m plan to breathe new life into Crosby town centre.

Sefton Council has submitted a bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund for a range of schemes to revitalise the town centre after the COVID-19 pandemic. And now it has launched a public consultation.

Along with commercial and development partners, in June the council unveiled its Reimagining Crosby scheme. It includes a new library and community facilities, a health and wellbeing hub and 30 new apartment homes.

Also among the proposals are new access routes and highway improvements, ahead of developments on the Green Car Park site. In addition, there will be improvements to other car parks and junctions in the town, as well as better access for people walking and cycling.

Cooksland and Allengate car parks will have new layouts, better utilising space and increasing the number of spaces available. The car parks will be future-proofed to include electric vehicle charging spaces and easy pedestrian routes will be created to connect the car parks with the town centre high street.

Also, the junction of the A565 Liverpool Road/The By-Pass and the B5193 Islington/Coronation Road/Church Road junction will be reconfigured to enable traffic to move more freely around the edge of the town centre and access parking.

Ian Maher, Sefton Council leader, said: “This is an exciting step in the regeneration of Crosby town centre and the delivery of the Crosby Investment Strategy. Our plans will help to ensure Crosby’s historic town centre is a vibrant and diverse place to live, work and visit.

“The council has an ongoing commitment to supporting the community, listening to valued feedback, and working and living among the community so we are already well-aware of how much this regeneration plan is needed to boost south Sefton.

“I strongly encourage people to take part in the public consultation and have their say on the future development of Crosby town centre.”

The outcome of the council’s Levelling Up Fund bid is due by late 2021. Consultation on the plans for Crosby town centre will run for six weeks and close on Wednesda, November 3. Local residents, businesses and visitors to Crosby are invited to share their thoughts online at yourseftonyoursay.sefton.gov.uk

People are also encouraged to share the online survey with others who may be interested and want to take part. People without internet access, can have their say over the phone by calling 0345 140 0845.

For further information, residents can contact the Regeneration Team on regen@sefton.gov.uk