West Kirby Town Centre Retail Action Plan

WEST KIRBY TOWN CENTRE RETAIL ACTION PLAN

By 2018, West Kirby will be thriving like never before. An improved high street, providing choice and convenience in retail and services, will be at the heart of the unique West Kirby offer. Local residents and communities will have contributed to this success, and will be proud to play their part in sustaining improvements and in promoting West Kirby town centre to increasing numbers of visitors.

INTRODUCTION

What is the purpose of the action plan?

This action plan provides a framework for the Council, businesses and the local community in West Kirby to work together towards the shared vision for the centre. It belongs to everyone who has a stake in the future of the area.

The plan sets out activities and potential improvements which will build on the significant assets of the town centre and shape the regeneration and management of West Kirby.

The plan shows how the Council, businesses and the local community will come together to deliver these activities and potential improvements. The many active traders and community and voluntary groups in West Kirby have a vital role to play in championing the vision and gathering local support.

Section 1 of the action plan sets out what West Kirby is like now.

Section 2 of the action plan sets out the vision for West Kirby.

Section 3 of the action plan sets out the work programme which will make the vision for West Kirby, as a town centre a reality.

Section 4 of the action plan provides contact details and further information about those organisations involved in delivering the plan.

How has the plan been developed?

The West Kirby Town Centre Action Plan builds on the Wirral Town, District and Local Centres Study and Delivery Framework 2011 (“2011 Town Centre Study”) which is a broader strategy for the regeneration and growth of the Borough’s 23 local, district and town centres outside Birkenhead. This in turn updated the Wirral Strategy for Town Centres, Retail and Commercial Leisure produced for the Council by Roger Tym & Partners (“the RTP report”) in 2009. Detailed analysis and consultation work was undertaken in producing the 2011 Town Centre Study, including wider consultation at a strategic level (Core Strategy) and more focused consultation with key stakeholders and traders.

The findings and conclusions of this work form the starting point for the West Kirby Town Centre Action Plan .

In addition some of the findings from the West Kirby Public Realm Improvements Study from 2007 that WS Atkins undertook are deemed equally relevant and fit for purpose today.

In producing the latest version of the plan further consultation work has been undertaken with key stakeholders and traders in the town, providing the opportunity for their input into the plan. The consultation responses and feedback have been captured within the Action Plan and have informed the key issues identified.

How does this document link to other plans and strategies?

The Action Plan is related to and should be read in parallel with a number of other strategic planning documents, including the Wirral Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and the emerging Core Strategy. It will also provide an evidence base to inform more detailed aspects of the Local Plan for Wirral, including the proposed Site Allocations DPD and a potential ‘Town Centre SPD’. The Action Plan for West Kirby will not be adopted as a Development Plan

Document and will remain non-statutory, but it will be used to shape the future of the area and inform the key priorities emerging from the development of the Constituency Plan for Wirral West.

Further information regarding these documents can be found via the following link: http://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/environment-and-planning/planning/local-development- framework/evidence-base

Statutory Non -Statutory

Core Strategy / Town Centre Neighbourhood Strategy Plan (when adopted)

Town Centres Site Town Centre Town Centre SPD Allocations Action Plans Toolkit Local Plan

The West Kirby Town Centre Action Plan sits alongside the Traders Toolkit which provides helpful information to town centre businesses on a range of issues such as planning and licensing. This publication can be viewed at: www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/business/investment-strategy/investing-places/town-centres

1. WHAT IS WEST KIRBY TOWN CENTRE LIKE NOW?

This section sets out what West Kirby is like now in terms of:

• Identity, sense of place and the streetscene • Retail and services offer • Accessibility and transport links • Local events and marketing activities

Theme 1: Identity, sense of place and the streetscene

West Kirby is recognised as being an attractive, vibrant and flourishing town centre, located within a generally pleasant environment. The centre benefits from a wide variety of independent retailers and its proximity to the waterfront and excellent sustainable transport links brings in thousands of visitors seeking to take advantage of the tourism and leisure offer. Its identity is further enhanced from its close proximity to Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and its association with hosting the Open Golf Championships, which attracted over 200,000 visitors in 2014 and benefited the local economy to the tune of £19.1M.

The town centre comprises three distinct clusters of businesses from Grange Rd towards Meols Drive in the north, Banks Rd to South Rd at the southern end, with the central area comprising the remainder of Church Rd, Acacia Grove, The Crescent, Dee Lane and the northern end of Banks Rd.

The town centre appears to function well although there are clearly opportunities for improvement, not least improved connectivity between the train station and bus stops and the popular seafront and promenade.

The three business clusters within West Kirby provide a diverse range of retail and service uses which offer a broad choice for shoppers. The town centre though is easily accessible and the current offer generally satisfies the day to day requirements of shoppers.

Whilst the streetscene is of a reasonable quality, there are areas that clearly could benefit from some environmental enhancements and renewals to the public realm . The Edwardian canopies in particular along Banks Rd and Acacia Grove, synonymous with bygone years, are now in desperate need of repair. The number of vacant retail units are well below average and hence there are very few areas of inactive frontage within the town centre.

West Kirby has a strong sense of ‘community spirit’ and ‘civic pride’ and this is testament to the commitment of a wide variety of proactive groups such as Transition Town West Kirby, Incredible Edible West Kirby, West Kirby Christmas Lights, Friends of Ashton Park, Friends of Coronation Gardens, St Bridgets Centre and Hoylake, West Kirby & District Civic Society, along with the valuable support of a number of individual businesses and local residents.

These community groups share a common purpose in supporting the regeneration of the town via aesthetic, social and economic means, in order to maintain a vibrant place for local residents and businesses.

There is a strong sense of history and heritage surrounding West Kirby and the local area and the West Kirby Museum within St Bridget’s Centre reflects this. However there is very little reference to the area’s historic past within the town centre in general and this has yet to be fully exploited for the benefit of local businesses.

Theme 2: Retail and services offer

The 2011 Town Centre Study identified the centre as having a significant service offer (47% of the total number of units), the comparison offer running at 33% and convenience provision at 9%. The percentage of units given over to convenience retailing was slightly below the study average of 10%, with the percentage of comparison retailers well above the study average of 19% at the time and the highest of all areas surveyed. Vacancy rates (6%) were well below the 12% study average across the borough. In relation to upper floor uses, there was a high level of vacancy (58%), followed by offices separate to ground floor uses (23%) and residential accounting for 11.5%.

A resurvey in October 2014 suggests that there have been some minor changes to these uses in the intervening period – an increase in service uses (48%), a small decrease in the convenience offer (8%) with the comparison offer remaining static at 33% and still above the borough’s average. Whilst the proportion of units given over to convenience retailing remains below the borough average, it does serve to reinforce West Kirby’s role as that of a service centre.

Convenience retailing is centred on a large Morrisons supermarket located on Dee Lane and Aldi on Bridge Rd. The diverse range of services in the town include estate agents, travel agents, chemists, florists, hairdressers, jewellers, mens and ladies fashion outlets, bookmakers, butchers, bakers and an array of cafés. These are complemented by a mix of restaurants, hot food takeaways, bars and pubs, all of which help support the night-time economy in the town.

Whilst the majority of these businesses are independently owned, they do include some high street multiples. Unlike a number of other areas in the borough, West Kirby is fortunate in that it still manages to retain a strong nucleus of financial institutions, with a number of banks and building societies represented, along with a busy post office . In recent years the town centre has seen the loss of a range of independent shops - health food, fishmonger, breadshop/delicatessen, photography, pet, white goods, bookseller, with a corresponding increase in the number of charity and property related shops. Whilst a number of other independent shops such as children’s and adult clothing have increased, the overall trend is such that the lack of diversity is becoming a cause of concern for the retail health of the town as a whole.

The 2011 Town Centre Study highlighted that the percentage of vacant units in the area at 6%, well below the Wirral average. The resurvey in 2014 has identified that vacancy rates have remained static at 6%, a trend which signifies that the town centre appears to be holding its own in the current economic climate.

Whilst some upper floor uses include residential and offices, to date no ground floor units have been converted exclusively for residential purposes.

Theme 3: Accessibility and transport links

West Kirby is well served by public transport and a key public transport interchange. It has a large residential catchment of circa 4,100 people within a 10 minute walk of the centre. During the week (Monday to Friday 9.00 - 5.00pm), the village is accessible by public transport in 30 minutes by approximately 94,000 people (30%) of the borough’s population and on Saturday circa 83,000 people. The demand for the night time economy can be demonstrated in that during the evening (7.00 - 10.00pm) 81,000 people (26%) of the population can continue to access the centre via public transport.

There is a frequent rail service from West Kirby station to Birkenhead and Liverpool City Centre which provides excellent onward connections to other parts of the Merseyrail network from as far as Southport to Chester. This service is widely used by commuters from the neighbouring residential areas. The frequent service to Liverpool can draw shoppers away from West Kirby, but this also presents two way opportunities to bring more people in from outlying areas to take advantage of the excellent retail and leisure offer in the town.

West Kirby lies on a number of main bus routes with excellent links to Birkenhead, Heswall, Chester and frequent cross river services to Liverpool City Centre. There have been recent improvements to the bus stops within the town and Merseytravel will continue to improve the provision of information at bus stops across the network in the future. This could potentially include the introduction of real time information.

Car parking within the town is plentiful with a choice of on and off road provision available for motorists. The two main Council operated pay and display car parks are located to the rear of the Concourse (171 spaces - 5 reserved for blue badge holders) and on Dee Lane adjacent to Morrisons own car park (173 spaces - 4 blue badge holders). The regulations governing the use of Council car parks operate 24 hours a day over all days. The charging hours are 8am - 6:30pm and apply 7 days a week.

Following a comprehensive review of the Council’s parking strategy in 2014 new tariffs will be introduced to selected car parks on a trial basis at the start of the 2015/16 financial year. Provision includes 70p for the first hour, 80p for the second up to a maximum all day tariff of £4.50. Both pay and display car parks in the town will be included in this “pilot”.

On road parking in the town is a combination of unrestricted and restricted waiting provision. Restricted parking provision varies from 30 minutes waiting (Acacia Grove and Sandlea Park), 60 minutes (The Crescent, Grange Rd, northern end of Banks Rd) and up to 2 hours (Grange Rd) opposite the Concourse. Proposals to increase the length of waiting restrictions on Acacia Grove by a further 30 minutes to 1 hour in total are expected to be implemented shortly.

Parking in the town presents a number of key challenges. The pay and display car parks have in recent times been underutilised, with commuters and owners/employees of businesses occupying valuable free on road parking spaces throughout the day, that are designed for the turnover of shoppers. This issue is particularly acute along the stretch of Banks Rd where unrestricted parking measures are currently in force. Notwithstanding this, the abuse of residential streets for all day parking is becoming an increasing problem.

For those areas of the town where waiting restrictions are in place the issue is whether the restriction that applies is appropriate to the needs of the customer i.e. 30 minute waiting restrictions generally aren’t conducive to patrons of cafés, restaurants and hairdressers.

The provision of signposting to the key car parking areas from the gateway routes into West Kirby needs reviewing, particularly from the Caldy approaches. Similarly greater promotion of the free Park and Ride facility for commuters at Hoylake Station could help alleviate parking pressures in the town, and help businesses to flourish. This could be achieved through the provision of improved signage within the courtyard at West Kirby station.

Cycle links to the town are generally satisfactory and West Kirby forms an integral part of the Wirral Circular Trail with excellent off road cycling links to Heswall, Cheshire West and Deeside. The route southwards along the Trail is good, but is limited to daylight hours (as no lighting exists) and is dependent upon favourable weather, as it can prove difficult to negotiate the muddy conditions in wet weather. The route northwards however includes

many on-road sections and although the speed limit is restricted to 30mph, these limits are regularly exceeded by motorists.

Cycle links for commuting to West Kirby station, the local schools and the shops are poor with no segregated cycle lanes along Grange Rd or Banks Rd, due largely to the constraints of the width of the carriageway.

There is potential for greater promotion of the food and drink offer in the town centre to Wirral Way/Circular Trail users. West Kirby station is one of a growing number on the Merseyrail network providing “Bike and Go” hire opportunities, along with dedicated “Go Cycle” storage facilities. There handful of cycle racks on the footway demonstrates a desire by the community to cycle into the centre. However those cycle racks that do exist aren’t necessarily in the most prominent locations on the footway i.e. outside key facilities such as restaurants/cafes.

Theme 4: Local events and marketing activities

The sports centre and library are located in the centre of West Kirby adjacent to the train station in shared municipal accommodation, which also incorporates the One Stop Shop and a health centre. The building acts as a key focal point for the town and the competitive hire charges of the halls and function rooms make them ideal venues for a wide range of community, social and business events throughout the year. Similar and equally popular community facilities are also available within Westbourne Hall.

In front of the Concourse building there is a large “inactive” area of public space within the Council’s ownership, which could potentially be utilised to host a variety of events and activities to draw visitors into the town. The area in question is generally in poor condition and would benefit from environmental improvements.

Transition Town West Kirby are the principal driving force in organizing a variety of annual events within the town centre. This includes a monthly farmers market on the fourth Saturday of each month at St Andrews Church, a Festi-Velo event (July 2014) in conjunction with Festival of Firsts, a lantern peace parade (November 2014) and an inaugural Christmas Festival that included a number of community related music and cultural events, delivered in conjunction with Brookfield Arts Centre throughout December. Allied to this there are a number of annual fairs organized by local ‘Friends’ groups – May Fair and brassbands event (Friends of Ashton Park), Arts Fair (Friends of Coronation Gardens), Transition Town and St Bridget’s Annual Earthfest and Summer Fair.

December 2014 also featured a Christmas lights “switch on” event. This was delivered by West Kirby Christmas Lights, a unique partnership between residents and local businesses, whose collective fundraising endeavours culminated in a high quality and attractive display in the town over the festive period. This was the first time for a number of years that West Kirby had had a display of Christmas lights.

2. WHAT IS THE VISION FOR WEST KIRBY TOWN CENTRE?

West Kirby continues to function well as a retail centre serving the local community. The socio-economic profile of the catchment area provides strong support for the centre as a whole and its role for convenience food shopping as well as for lifestyle shopping and services. The village boasts a significant number of award winning restaurants, cafes, takeaways and pubs, all of which help to provide a sustainable evening economy . The loss of independent retailers in the town and the current lack of variety and diversity of the retail offer continues to be a cause for concern, as is the proliferation of charity shops and

property related businesses. Consequently the need to attract new types of retailers to the village and new customers is apparent.

West Kirby is designated as a Traditional Suburban Centre in the UDP. The emerging Core Strategy lists West Kirby as a “Town Centre” in the new hierarchy of retail centres proposed in Policy CS25. At the time of writing, it is not envisaged that the centre boundary shown on the UDP Proposals Map will be contracted or expanded in a future site-specific Local Plan. In the 2011 study West Kirby was one of only a handful of retail areas deemed “very healthy” or “healthy“ in spite of the disproportionate number of service and non-retail uses within the centre. Future change in this area will be monitored through the rolling programme of surveys undertaken in all the borough’s centres.

The town centre comprises two main sections. The main retail core is centred around the station and The Crescent area and the linear frontage at the northern end of Banks Rd. Grange Rd is a major through route, but it does present a constraint to pedestrian movement around the town. It is apparent that there are areas of the public realm in need of enhancements, in particular the pedestrian linkages between the Concourse and the centre which are weak. Linkages with the promenade particularly for first time visitors have not been fully realised and could be improved through improved signage, marketing and improvements to the public realm.

There is overwhelming support from groups like Wirral Pedestrian Association and Merseyside Cycling Campaign to make the town more accessible and attractive for pedestrians and cyclists and a recognition in some quarters that the number of people visiting town centres by car is often overestimated anyway. Some areas of the public realm in particular aren’t pedestrian friendly for wheelchair users, parents with buggies and they inhibit two way flow of pedestrians. Measures proposed could potentially include the trial pedestrianisation of the Crescent, the introduction of wider footways along Grange Rd opposite the station, the provision of traffic calming measures i.e. 20mph limits and the re- engineering of key junctions and refuges to improve safety. All of which have the potential to improve the overall quality and attractiveness of the town.

Following on from West Kirby Public Realm Study in 2007 an attempt to implement a pilot pedestrianisation of the Crescent was aborted by the Council in the face of opposition from a handful of businesses at the time. In spite of the level of support that existed within the community for the scheme, the economic recession had at that point started to bite and it was felt that the potential threat to existing businesses was too great a risk. Despite this there appears to be strong support still for this proposal, and the economic recovery allied to the current strength of the high street suggests that this might be an opportune moment to progress this, albeit on a trial basis.

The secondary retail core is centred on the southern end of Banks Rd towards Coronation Gardens. As this stretch of Banks Rd is interspersed in places by residential properties it does create a sense of isolation from the remainder of the town centre. This is the area of the town (along with Acacia Grove) where the Edwardian canopies are most prominent. In recent years these structures have fallen into decline. One of the difficulties in this regard though has been in determining ownership of the canopies as previous Land Registry title searches have proved inconclusive. In 2008 the Council made a fair and reasonable offer of a 60% contribution towards the cost of refurbishment on the basis owners/traders contributed the remaining 40%. However the response was “lukewarm” at the time and the scheme abandoned. There still remains though an aspiration to refurbish the canopies to their former glory and in view of their deteriorating condition the need for their refurbishment couldn’t be greater.

The “inactive” areas around the Concourse present a number of opportunities to facilitate improvements to the public realm or to develop a piazza/town square or event space for themed markets or similar activities. The proposed relocation of the health centre and possible fire station closure could present other exciting development opportunities in the short-medium term, to fully realise the potential for the site. Opportunities also exist to create a greener environment through the introduction of additional planters and tree planting, providing colour to the streetscape and building upon the work of volunteers from Incredible Edible West Kirby.

The frontages to a couple of empty units have been left in poor condition and opportunities exist to work with landlords to consider “pop” up provision or the use of attractive vinyls in windows to encourage future investment.

West Kirby continues to have a feel of functioning in two parts and the need to provide greater connectivity between the core centre and outlying areas remains. This could be addressed through the provision of improved signage or information maps upon arrival at the station, highlighting the key pedestrian and cycle routes. This would be particularly pertinent if the pilot pedestrianisation of the Crescent were to develop.

The town centre is well served by public transport and benefits from a large residential catchment within easy walking distance. Free on road car parking spaces within West Kirby are at a premium, with restricted or unrestricted parking measures in operation. A review of parking measures along Banks Rd, where no restrictions are currently in operation is now a necessity to determine whether they are having a detrimental impact on trade in that area. The introduction of reduced tariffs for pay and display parking in the town will also need to be closely monitored to determine whether it is working for or against existing businesses. Any review should also consider the option of removing car parking charges altogether to mitigate the likelihood of all day parking along Banks Rd and the residential side roads, which is believed to be having a detrimental impact on the prosperity of some businesses.

There is a strong desire to encourage more cycling to West Kirby and this can be evidenced by the existence of West Kirby Bike Hub. Co-ordinated by Transition Town West Kirby in conjunction with Merseyside Fire Service and Sustrans, it helps promote cycling in West Kirby and throughout the Wirral. In addition the Wirral Cycle Forum provides an opportunity to advocate and promote safe cycle use across Wirral. It allows cyclists to meet regularly with Council Officers, Councillors and other interested parties to exchange views and ideas on what can be done to promote cycling; these views can help to identify problems and solutions for the cyclist.

Cycling facilities in the town are somewhat limited and the introduction of additional provision such as cycle racks on the footway allied to the implementation of road safety measures could help relieve traffic congestion in the town.

West Kirby has been included as a Growth Zone for transport funding from the Regional Growth Fund. Whilst there aren’t currently any West Kirby schemes prioritised for funding within the next two years of the programme, it could be a potential source of funding for cycle and pedestrian improvements in future years.

The recent announcement from Merseytravel regarding their successful application for support from Department for Transport’s “Cycle Rail Fund” initiative will also provide welcome news. Through the introduction of improved signage and “way finding” to stations, this will help improve rail uptake at all 28 stations on the Wirral line (including West Kirby) that currently provide cycle storage.

Consequently West Kirby is not in need of transformational change, moreover it needs to build on its many positive features and it’s unique character as an archetypal Edwardian/Victorian seaside town, so that it can continue to be self sustaining and prosperous in its own right.

There are a number of established community organisations and “Friends” groups working for the greater good of the town, but no formal trader led organisation in existence taking ownership for helping improve business and economic prospects. The West Kirby Christmas Lights group were extremely successful in raising significant funds for festive decorations in 2014. However the initiative was the brainchild of local residents and though a number of businesses and local charities did pledge financial support, disappointingly this represented only a small percentage of the overall business population.

There are a plethora of community organisations in existence - Transition Town West Kirby, Incredible Edible West Kirby, Friends of Ashton Park, Friends of Coronation Gardens and West Kirby Museum who are extremely proactive and successful in organising and promoting a wide variety of events and activities throughout the year, through effective use of the web and social media. A successful monthly Farmers Market continues to enhance its burgeoning reputation and there is strong support within the community to maximise open spaces in the town to facilitate additional events and activities for families i.e. on the beach along South Parade, and around the Concourse. Scope exists to use under-utilised space around the Concourse to encourage craft/artisan fairs, though this may require a review and ultimately the revocation of the current Market Charter dating back to 1877.

There are therefore significant opportunities to improve the identity of the town itself and to introduce an improved and more balanced offer, by attracting new retailers and users, in order to secure its sustainable future. Local traders/businesses, community groups and residents will all be expected to play a key role in this.

Taking all this into account the vision for West Kirby is that:

3. HOW WILL THE VISION BE DELIVERED?

The detailed analysis undertaken as part of the Town Centre Study for West Kirby and the work involved in developing the Action Plan have helped identify key issues, objectives and potential interventions, which if implemented can help the centre maximise its potential.

These are summarised within the delivery plan below:

Theme 1: Identity, Sense of Place and the Streetscene

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM

Improving the A cleaner, greener and more attractive town Introduce tree planting and additional planters in Incredible Edible /Traders/ environmental quality centre appropriate locations – through grants (Community Wirral Council of the town and First, Your Wirral, Love Wirral etc), donations and (by Sept 2015) provide an interesting sponsorship opportunities and active streetscene Encourage businesses to take a more prominent role Incredible Edible/Traders in maintaining existing planters & introducing new (by Sept 2015) floral displays

Engage supply of community volunteers/local Incredible Edible /Traders schools in any ongoing planting activity Local schools (by Sept 2015)

Increase frequency of litter collection during busy Wirral Council/Biffa holiday periods (ongoing)

An enhanced public realm which is Introduce a programme of refurbishment (in full or Wirral Council/selected traders/ accessible and useable part) for Edwardian/Victorian canopies along Banks H&WK District Civic Society Rd and Acacia Grove (by Dec 2016)

Repair and repainting of selected street furniture Wirral Council (by March 2016)

The introduction of additional bench seating across Transition Town/Wirral Council the town at appropriate locations (by March 2016)

High quality shop fronts, signage and Promote the Trader’s Toolkit to help preserve the Wirral Council/ conversions throughout the centre character of the area (including good shopfront H & WK District Civic Society design) (ongoing)

Theme 2: Retail and Services Offer

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM

A more vibrant and A diverse retail offer that can attract and Establish a lead group or traders association utilising Traders/Community/ sustainable town retain customers all year round and resist existing knowledge & skills to work together on Wirral Council centre loss to other areas improving the scope and attractiveness of the town (by June 2015)

Existing and new businesses to be more responsive Lead Body or Traders in identifying and meeting the needs of the local Association/Traders community i.e. need to attract niche independent (by Sept 2015) businesses i.e. quality delicatessen, fishmongers etc

Engage the wider businesses and larger multiples Lead Body or Traders (banks, Morrisons, Aldi, Boots, Sayers etc) to act as Association/Traders “champions” for the village in conjunction with new (by Sept 2015) leadership group

Monitor the number of charity shops and property Lead Body or Traders related businesses in the town Association/Wirral Council (ongoing)

A more vibrant and visually attractive high Working with property owners/landlords to actively Lead Body or Traders street where people choose to shop encourage new and appropriate businesses into Association/Landlords empty units including temporary or “pop up” uses as (by Dec 2015) necessary

Lobby property owners/landlords to consider use of Lead Body or Traders window vinyls on “run down” vacant shop frontages Association/Landlords (by Dec 2015)

Lobby owners/landlords to ensure properties are well Lead Body or Traders maintained and “fit for purpose” and facilitate Association/Landlords/Wirral enforcement action for non-compliance as necessary Council (by Dec 2015)

Theme 3: Accessibility and Transport Links AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Improve visitors Improve connectivity a nd accessibility for Review signage for motorists and pedestrians/cyclists Wirral Council/Wirral (cyclists, pedestrians, visitors between Wirral Way/West Kirby at key strategic “arrival” points in the town Pedestrian Association and motorists) station/Concourse and seafront (by Sept 2015) experience of the town Creation of a more “pedestrian friendly” town Pedestrianisation of the Crescent (albeit on a trial basis Wirral Council/Wirral centre experience initially) incorporating planting and seating features Pedestrian Association/Lead Body or Traders Association (by March 2017)

Review widening of footways and introduction of Wirral Council/Wirral dropped kerbs in specific areas (Grange Rd) to improve Pedestrian Association accessibility for pushchair users and those with (by Dec 2015) impaired mobility

Increase enforcement of vehicles parking unlawfully on Merseyside Police/Wirral footway Council (ongoing) Provide “business friendly” parking opportunities and improvements Introduce reduced parking tariffs within Concourse and Wirral Council Dee Lane pay and display car parks (by April 2015)

Review the impact of reduced parking tariffs and Wirral Council explore opportunity to remove charges completely (by June 2016)

Consider creation of additional parking spaces on Dee Wirral Council Lane (by Sept 2015)

Review current waiting restrictions for parking on Wirral Council Grange Rd, Acacia Grove, Sandlea Park, The Crescent (by Sept 2015) and Banks Rd (northern end)

Consider introduction of limited waiting restrictions on Wirral Council remainder of Banks Rd (from Salisbury Ave to Church (by Sept 2015) Rd)

Review size and location of bus bays on Banks Rd Merseytravel/Wirral Council (between Shrewsbury Rd & Church Rd) (by June 2015)

continued

AIM WHAT WE COU LD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Seek improved promotion of free Park & Ride at Merseytravel /Wirral Council Hoylake Station, to discourage commuters from (by Sept 2015) occupying valuable free parking spaces in West Kirby

Provide a safer town centre for all users Review measures to reduce traffic speed e.g. the Wirral Council introduction of traffic calming measures or 20mph (by March 2016) limits

Review locations of existing refuges and crossing Wirral Council points and re-engineer as necessary (by March 2016)

Review cycle parking facilities to encourage Review location of existing provision and introduce Wirral Council/Sustrans accessibility from existing cycle ways new dedicated cycle parking facilities in the town /Merseyside Cycling centre Campaign (by March 2016)

Theme 4: Local Events and Marketing Activities

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Increase visitors and A lively, interesting and useable town centre with In conjunction with a newly forme d traders Lead Body/Traders spend to West Kirby improved vitality and providing a better visitor association or lead group consider the introduction Association/traders experience of a range of incentives and activities to promote the (by Dec 2105) offer- ‘shop local’, loyalty cards, retailers newsletter etc.

Explore opportunities for indoor/outdoor space to run Lead Body/Traders seasonal events and or themed markets/fairs Association/Transition Town/Wirral Council (by March 2016)

Ensure Christmas lights “switch on” becomes WK Christmas Lights/ Lead permanent fixture in any programme of events Body/Traders Association/traders (ongoing)

Enhance festive displays through fundraising WK Christmas Lights/ Lead opportunities (sponsorship, use of online fundraising Body/Traders portals i.e. Crowdfunder or Spacehive) Association/traders (by Dec 2015)

Proactive use of existing websites and social media All to promote community events and activities to (ongoing) encourage linked trips to West Kirby

Increased promotion of food and drink offer in the All town centre to Wirral Way users and visitors to the (ongoing) beach and promenade/marine lake.

Fully exploit the towns heritage potential Explore opportunities to develop a history/heritage WK Museum/H&WK District trail within the town centre to attract more visitors, Civic Society including the provision of historical display boards (by June 2016)

4. KEY CONTACTS AND SUPPORT

Wirral Council

Neil Mitchell (Regeneration Team) – 0151 691 8423 / [email protected] Jane Morgan (Constituency Manager – Wirral West) - 0151 929 7706 / [email protected]

The Wirral Events Advisory Group acts as a one stop shop to provide organizers of public events in Wirral with appropriate advice and guidance to enable events to take place safely. Tel 0151 606 2290 or e-mail [email protected] for advice.

A copy of the publication Organising Public Events in Wirral – an Essential Guide can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.wirral.gov.uk/my-services/community-and-living/organising-outdoor-events

Useful websites Association of Town Centre Management - www.atcm.org 100 Ways - www.100ways.org.uk/ British Retail Consortium – www.brc.org.uk Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for- business-innovation-skills Department for Communities and Local Government - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for- communities-and-local-government Design Council www.designcouncil.org.uk/ Sustrans – www.sustrans.org.uk Crowdfunder – www.crowdfunder.co.uk Spacehive – www.spacehive.com

All Council services (including lists of Ward Councillors) – www.wirral.gov.uk

Other local websites and contacts of interest:

Friends of Ashton Park: www.ashtonpark.btck.co.uk Friends of Coronation Gardens: www.coronationgardens.co.uk Hoylake, West Kirby & District Civic Society: www.wirralgroups.org.uk/civic_society.html Incredible Edible West Kirby: www.westkirby.org/incredible-edible-west-kirby Merseyside Cycling Campaign: www.merseycycle.org.uk St Bridget’s Centre: www.stbridgetscentre.co.uk Transition Town West Kirby: www.transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk Westbourne Hall: www.westbournehall.co.uk West Kirby Christmas Lights: www.westkirbychristmaslights.co.uk West Kirby Farmers Market: www.westkirbyfarmersmarket.co.uk West Kirby Museum: www.westkirbymuseum.co.uk Wirral Pedestrian Association: www.wirralpedestrians.org.uk