More details of Sefton Council’s plans for the “repurposing” of Bootle Strand have been revealed, including the removal of the shopping centre’s roof.
The details about the council’s proposals to regenerate the shopping centre, which it bought in 2017, have been published in a report about government funding it has received for the scheme.
It was announced in March this year Sefton Council had been selected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to receive £20m of funding after previously unsuccessful attempts to secure vital cash.
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In documents to be discussed at a meeting of Sefton Council’s cabinet on Thursday, a provisional start date of February 2024 has been given for the first phase of the council’s masterplan .
The masterplan, which was published by Sefton Council in January, described changing the Strand from a predominantly retail based centre to an area including more community-focused offerings.
According to the masterplan, the main aspects of the Strand re-purposing project involves the introduction of health, education and technology uses and the development of the Canalside site to provide cultural and leisure facilities.
The plan also involves improvements to the public realm – with this also including removing the roof from major parts of the Strand shopping centre and the introduction of “green corridors” in the area.
The documents said the measures will “support the growth of the local economy, attracting inward investment and generating sustainable jobs and increased skills” as well as creating a more “diversified town centre.”
Within the cabinet report – detailing non-legally binding conditions attached to the £20m government grant – it is stated that the council’s main priority for the Strand is to support its “continued role in the local community as a key asset at the heart of Bootle, critical to the town’s physical, economic and social regeneration.”
It adds that because of changes to high street behaviour and the “uncertainties” of the economic situation the council had to subsidise the centre to keep it operational.
The report stated the plans will help keep the centre sustainable and allow the Strand to “act as a catalyst for the regeneration in Bootle”
Phase one of the plans will, according to the report, create a “new high quality public realm” alongside a “rich and exciting cultural and leisure offer”, a high quality digital space and the inclusion of educational facilities at the “heart” of the town centre.
The report adds that it is hoped that this will in turn attact access to more funding to further drive forward the town’s regeneration.
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