A "struggling" town where everyone knows everyone gets an "unfair bad name", as fears arise that it could be "left behind".
Kirkby town centre has seen much development in recent years, from the "hidden gem" market receiving £50,000 investment for refurbishment works and the building of a new retail park. But despite recent positive changes, some people say the town is "tarred" with a bad image, unfairly so.
The ECHO visited the town centre on a Wednesday afternoon and spoke to businesses and visitors to ask what they thought of the town centre and the wider communities. One visitor, who did not wish to be named, said the town is "struggling" but that it had a "fantastic community spirit".
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Another said: "With the new Morrisons over there, independent businesses are struggling but they are plodding on. I love Kirkby, I think it's a great little town but it needs more. More in the town centre, more support here, more shops open. Let's make it great again. It's tarred with a bad name but we need to make sure the centre doesn't get left behind and people support local."
Kirkby was a town that was once ranked in the bottom 10 worst places to shop in Britain but has seen a dramatic rise in fortunes over the last three years. Data shared by BBC News showed that the number of visitors to Kirkby town centre had risen by 160% since 2019.
This is the highest jump across the whole of the UK at a time when high streets and retail offers have declined in other areas. Knowsley Council made the decision to purchase the town centre and has since been carrying out a regeneration plan including overhauling the existing shopping centre and the building of a new retail park.
But not all business owners across the town were positive about the changes, with some concerns over a "divide" between the town centre and new retail park. Butcher Neil Woolvine has been trading in the town for the past 22 years and he said a dependency on the internet and societal changes have irreparably changed how town centres work.
He told the ECHO: "High streets are the same everywhere, it is what it is, this is the new world. As much as people say they will do something, what are they going to do take the internet down?
"Footfall has probably increased maybe with new developers over there but it's bad planning in a way because it's split the town centre in half. It's a quick world I know as much as anyone, you go in get what need and get back out.
"So if one shop is over there and another over here then it just doesn't work. People won't come here, they don't. It's nothing to do with the council, they are helping, they really are. They are helping as much as they can but it's just a new world."
Neil said at one point, you "couldn't push a pram down the high street as it was that busy" but now, people want "convenience", from quicker shopping to ready to cook meals. He has also found himself preparing already chopped foods, ready to cook and packaged.
But despite the challenges of a decline in footfall and increased bills, he said the "same old Kirkby" is there. He said: "The people are the best. They are as honest as you like and that's hard to find nowadays.
"It's a good community. It gets an unfair bad name for no reason at all but I've lived everywhere, even the lakes and the Lake District has dodgy areas, it's the same everywhere. But Kirkby gets downtrodden for no reason at all."
In October 2021 a new Morrisons superstore was successfully delivered and provided people access to a supermarket for the first time in over 40 years. Fast food chains, a Home Bargains and a gym have also opened on the retail park.
Holly Litherland, working at Doogles, said Kirkby was "like a village". She added: "I love Kirkby, we are all a little family, it's more like a village than a town. From businesses and visitors, everyone knows everyone in Kirkby, you can't keep anything quiet."
Cllr Graham Morgan previously said: "I am delighted that Kirkby has been highlighted so positively in this latest research. Clearly the Council’s major investment and regeneration in the town centre has been a key factor in the town’s success but it wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of traders and local businesses and local residents too who are ‘shopping local.’
"It has been a turbulent time for high streets and businesses in recent years so to see this increase is a really positive indicator for Kirkby and will hopefully put the town firmly on the map with new investors and businesses who will see the town as a great place to do business."
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