In 2017 Sefton Central Conservatives set out their ideas for regenerating Crosby Village. We recognised that retail patterns were changing and that if the Village was to survive it would need the introduction of new facilities. The Village was in decline with empty shops, uncoordinated transport planning, over-priced car parks which received little maintenance. At the same time, the Council was allowing our irreplaceable agricultural land to be lost to provide new housing.
With this scenario we suggested 4 years ago that the Village should be regenerated by building new affordable housing on the brownfield land within the centre. We also suggested working with the NHS and Public Health England to create a new health and community centre in the Village, as Crosby was the only area of Sefton without a modern health facility.
Our suggestions were ignored by Sefton’s Labour Council who stood by and did nothing to stimulate regeneration of Crosby Village. The Councillors and the Labour MP are proud to acclaim the recent renovations by St Modwen in Moor Lane. They also welcomed the proposed redevelopment of the derelict Central Buildings site (only to refuse the planning application) and more recently the proposals for Telegraph House, both schemes proposing new housing within the area. However, these are schemes led by private developers with no involvement or funding by Sefton Council.
In fact, Sefton Council’s contribution to the Village has been non-existent. The car parks are a disgrace with sub-standard parking bays, insufficient space for disabled users and numerous pot-holes.
What a surprise therefore this week to see that Sefton Council is seeking approval from its Cabinet to submit a bid for redevelopment of its car park at Islington (The Green), behind Boots and Farm Foods.
And what are our imaginative Labour Councillors proposing for the site?
They tell us that, “The scheme will create a new town centre hub including a fit-for-purpose new community library, General Practitioner surgery and health clinic and residential accommodation”.
Sounds familiar?
Well, it should be – they are the very ideas we suggested 4 years ago. Sefton’s Labour Councillors are following the example of Captain Hindsight, their national Leader, by latching onto ideas previously submitted by the Conservatives.
However, Labour’s ideas are even more amazing as they have now proposed a new community library for Crosby. This is the same Council which in December 2013 closed and abandoned Crosby’s historic and much loved Carnegie Library. It has taken this Council 7 years to realise that the area needed a library. More hindsight from this unimaginative Labour Council.
The Labour Council is bidding for grant aid from the Conservative Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF) which is a joint venture between the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department for Transport (DFT) and Treasury, totalling up to £4.8bn to 2024-25.
Whether the Council receives the necessary funding will depend on the quality of its bid to Government and whether they can make a convincing case backed-up by realistic costs and management proposals. Unfortunately, this Council’s track record on bidding for funds is not great, unless they are going cap-in-hand to their Labour comrades in the Liverpool City Region as they are doing for Bootle Strand and the CLAC Centre.
SCCA Chairman Martyn Barber said, “We sincerely hope that Sefton’s Labour Council assembles a realistic and compelling bid for Crosby Village in order to bring about the proposals which the Conservatives advocated over 4 years ago. However, they have ignored the regeneration of other parts of Sefton Central, including the core business areas of Maghull and Formby. Perhaps we can now expect our Labour Councillors to set out their ideas for these areas too.”
