Opening its doors in 1968, Bootle Strand was a breath of fresh air for the Bootle landscape and to its people for that matter.
An important step in the area's major 1960's redevelopment, a far cry from what many would regard it as now. I pass the Strand everyday on my way to work, an uninviting and dated exterior is what I catch a glimpse of as my bus passes.
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It paints a sight of wasted potential. Unfortunately, the exterior mirrors what lies behind its doors. A lack of spirit can be felt immediately upon entering the shopping centre. Rows of empty units speak volumes to the state the Strand currently finds itself in.
At 22, I may not be old enough to remember the 'golden' era' of the Strand. But after living in Bootle all my life I have visited the Strand more times than I care to remember. Although I still have many fond memories of the shopping centre, there is no denying it has fallen into a state of devastating decay.
Those memories are from when I was younger, not now. There is nothing memorable in recent years I care to look back on. I reminisce on times when my parents would take me and my siblings on a ''shopping trip'' to the Strand. Spending our pocket money in Woolworths, Argos and JJB became a monthly hobby of ours - all of which are gone now. I can still remember the excitement I felt when my dad used to say ''time to go to ''Woolies''.
My favourite memory of the Strand was always visiting Costa's chippy, it stood near the location of the current Card Factory. As a family we would always choose this chippy over the nearby McDonalds, every time. It's not the nostalgic smell or the delicious food that stands out in my memory. It is the sense of community, everybody seemed to know each other, the friendly atmosphere still resonates with me today.
The point of sharing these memories? To remind people how much potential the Strand has to offer. My family have been sharing their memories of the strand with me. My nan, my parents and me all have special memories from different generations. It would be a shame if generations of memories were to die with me. ''Bootle's silver lining'' my nan says after I ask what the Strand Shopping Centre once meant to the community.
There is a glimmer of hope for the revival of Bootle Strand amid suggestions that decades of obvious decline can be reverted. This comes as more details of Sefton Council's redevelopment of the shopping centre have recently been revealed. Back in March, Sefton Council were selected for funding by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to receive £20m funding after previous failed attempts.
A provisional start date of February 2024 has been given for the first phase of the Council's masterplan. The plans aim to change the Strand from a predominantly retail-based centre to an area including more community-focused offerings. The report says the plans will help make the centre sustainable and allow the Strand to “act as a catalyst for the regeneration in Bootle.''
Some ECHO readers have voiced their concerns about the cash injection. One reader wrote ''Is the Strand worth saving? I walked through it a couple of weeks ago and a good fair shops were empty and some that were opening weren't that appealing.'' Another wrote ''20 million should be spent on social care, NHS and social housing roads etc, not this pile of archaic concrete".
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
Others had a more positive outlook on the proposed revamp. One Echo reader wrote ''Let's all get behind the Strand and support its future, because once it's gone it's lost forever.'' Another wrote ''I remember my mum taking me as a child to the Strand before they "did it up" and you could get all your shopping done due to the huge variety of shops. The Strand could be a good little shopping centre again if money was spent where it was needed.''
Whilst opinions are split on the cash injection, surely non of us want the Strand to be a dying blot on the Bootle landscape for much longer? Perhaps this new lease of life promised by Sefton Council's redevelopment plans will return Bootle Strand to the Bootle landmark people once knew and loved. Hopefully many of my favourite memories of the Strand are yet to be made and the sense of community that once flowed throughout it can be felt again.
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