Parking charges could be introduced for major events at a popular Liverpool country park as the cash-strapped local authority seeks financial help.
The future of Croxteth Hall and Country Park is under the spotlight after Liverpool Council admitted it needed to look at new ways to manage its heritage assets. Cllr Harry Doyle, assistant Mayor and cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, said the local authority “can’t continue to do everything we want to do” to maintain its most popular locations in the face of the council’s wide financial challenges .
As a result, it will now explore commercial opportunities to bring in “much-needed” money to invest into the popular country park that currently costs £1m to maintain. Among these could include the adoption of a potential parking charge at a new, large “environmentally friendly” car park on site during events.
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The proposal is part of a month-long consultation that has been launched seeking people’s views on how and why they use the park. The questionnaire will also look to gauge what sort of events visitors would like to see take place in the Hall and park – from markets and outdoor cinema showings through to festivals and a ride-along miniature railway offer.
A feasibility study on the introduction of a pet crematorium within the grounds of the park, which would give a dignified farewell to a much-loved family pet, has also begun. Those filling in the survey will be asked if this is a service they would use.
Cllr Doyle said: “We know that Croxteth Hall and Country Park is one of the most popular green spaces in the city, but with the level of cuts we are facing we can’t continue to do everything we want to do to ensure it meets the high standards we have come to expect over the years. We need to look at a different approach which is exactly what this survey hopes to achieve – we want to know what people would be willing to pay for and how we can breathe new life into this Liverpool gem.
“I’d like to assure everyone that this is not about bringing in a third party to operate or run the park. Quite simply, heritage is expensive – but from other examples we can see across the country we know commercialising certain aspects works and means that the money generated leads to the creation of better facilities and ambitious plans can be realised.”
A team from the Hall will also be in the park to capture the views of users during the consultation period. It will close at midnight on Monday September 12 and the findings will be released in early November.
Angie Redhead, Liverpool Council head of city assets, added: “The people of Liverpool are passionate about Croxteth Hall and Park and have such an emotional connection with it. So many happy memories have been shared with us of childhood visits and those same people continue to visit to this day with their own children and grandchildren.
“But heritage assets such as Croxteth are notoriously expensive to maintain and the council has to find ways to generate income to help preserve and protect them so that future generations of families can continue to enjoy this gorgeous green space.”
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