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Sefton Council is looking for feedback on what residents, visitors and businesses think about its vision for the future of Crosby Coastal Park in a new consultation that will run until September 16.

The Council wants to work closely with communities to explore opportunities to protect, improve and develop the coastal park in a way that will conserve habitats and encourage sustainable ideas that will increase wellbeing and economic opportunities.

The consultation will seek feedback on the various elements of the vision to help influence the way the landscape is managed and guide decisions on which developments should be supported in the future.

The consultation outlines possible ideas for specific stretches of the coastal park that have been divided into six zones:

• Zone A covers Hightown to north of Hall Road West
• Zone B covers Hall Road West to Burbo Bank Road
• Zone C covers Burbo Bank Road to Crosby Baths
• Zone D covers South of Crosby Road Baths to North of Marine Lake/South Road
• Zone E covers South Road to Cambridge Road
• Zone F covers Beach Lawn, Crescent, Adelaide and Marine Gardens and Potters Barn Park

There are already a number of schemes in the pipeline including a major coastal protection and flood alleviation project, improving the existing habitat for fauna and flora, improving accessibility for walkers and cyclists, boosting opportunities to increase health and wellbeing, improving visitor facilities and working with the Antony Gormley Studio to care for the famous statues.

However, Sefton Council believes more can be done to protect the landscape and make sure it’s the best it can be for residents, visitors, businesses and the many plants and species that call it home.

The consultation is an opportunity for the public to have their say on the future of the coastal park and let the Council know what they’d like to see.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “While we all share a common goal in wanting to make the coastal park the best it can be, there are some challenges.

“This consultation will allow us to work closely with our communities, partners and organisations so that we can best understand each other’s needs.

“I urge anyone who lives, works or simply enjoys Crosby Coastal Park to engage with the consultation and let us know what you think.”

The consultation can be completed online by visiting  https://yourseftonyoursay.sefton.gov.uk  

Sefton Council has put forward Bootle and Southport to benefit from up to £1 million investment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s £6m Town Centre Fund.

At its meeting on Friday, 26 July, the Combined Authority will be asked to approve up to £6 million – up to £1 million for each of its six local authorities – to support plans to revitalise town centres across the Liverpool City Region.

The Combined Authority agreed to commission the £6 million fund in October last year and since then the local authorities have been working up high-level investment programmes, identifying which town centres they wish to nominate, along with proposals for what they intend to do.

Those interventions include masterplan strategies, public realm improvements, physical and digital infrastructure, business support, town centre management and events and marketing activities.

Sefton Council plans to diversify Bootle town centre, including developing creative and digital sector opportunities, while there are a range of proposals for Southport aimed at making the town a classic seaside resort, including redeveloping the market, improving its historical features, and creating better links between the town centre and the seafront.

Councillor Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “Thriving town centres are a crucial element in delivering economic growth throughout Sefton. To support this goal, we have developed town centre investment and development frameworks for each of our town centres and the funding that we are bidding for will help us to meet some of our aspirations.

“If we secure investment from the Liverpool City Region it will allow us to diversify Bootle town centre with more creative, digital and health and wellbeing opportunities. While in Southport funding would support us to make the most of Southport’s seaside resort assets, mixing the old and new, and ensure we have a high quality leisure, retail, historic and public space offer.”

24 hour buses on key routes, at least one bus an hour on all routes between 5am and midnight and zero emission fleets … these are just three elements of a new proposed ‘Vision for Bus’ to help shape plans for the future of bus services in the Liverpool City Region.

At this week’s Combined Authority meeting (Friday 26 July), Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, and City Region leaders will be asked to approve the principles of the ‘Vision for Bus’ and will be updated on progress in developing the options for reform of bus services.

Under the powers afforded to a Metro Mayoral Combined Authority, the Bus Services Act 2017 allows for the options of franchising, along with Enhanced Partnership or a continuation of the Bus Alliance– a voluntary partnership.

The ‘Vision for Bus’ is based on themes identified across 1500 responses to an online survey that formed the first phase of the Liverpool City Region’s ‘Big Bus Debate’ which was launched by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram in November 2018.

Punctuality, reliability, ticketing complexity, the overall cost of travel and service frequencies, coverage and hours of operation were all key themes identified for improvement.

The report highlights that even without meeting the ambitions of the new ‘vision’, keeping bus services at even a static level under any of the three models could require up to an additional £35m of public subsidy a year by 2030 through the Combined Authority. The current subsidy, around £60m a year, funds concessionary travel and supported services –those services that are essential to the community but not commercially viable for private bus operators. The estimated additional investment factors in naturally increasing costs as well as forecasting a need to plug more gaps in commercial operations as less profitable routes are cut in response to operator costs rising faster than passenger revenues.

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, said:

We have big ambitions for bus in the Liverpool City Region. The Bus Alliance has allowed us to make good progress in modernising our bus network but, as the ‘Big Bus Debate’ has shown, we have to go much further and faster, ensuring bus services are developed around people, supporting them getting to and from work, accessing health care and enjoying all the City Region has to offer.

Eight out of ten public transport journeys are made by bus. The network has to be robust and sustainable, otherwise we’re putting economic growth at risk. We need to put people with opportunities and deliver our commitment to air quality and health improvements.

It’s clear that whatever bus reform option is right for our City Region, there will be additional and significant cost to the public purse. We have to meet this challenge head on and work through it. Doing nothing is not an option.”

The Combined Authority is expected to receive a recommendation on the preferred option in early 2020.

The next phase of the Big Bus Debate will take place later this summer, with more detailed face-to-face surveys and further community engagement in the autumn