The town and its residents getting ready for change

Joseph Condron and his stepson Jose are looking forward to the changes

Residents say they are excited to embrace change in their town centre after years of waiting for regeneration work to take place.

The revamp of Bootle town centre has been a long time coming, but there are signs that work is starting to bear fruit.

Ever since Sefton Council purchased The Strand back in 2017, there has been a great deal of anticipation for the promised transformation of the area.

The redevelopment plans, the opening of the new Salt and Tar venue and the imminent (and partial) demolition of The Strand are all visible indicators change has stared to happen and progress is being made.

'Boost up the area'

And residents are excited to see what the future brings as they get ready for big change.

Asked for his thoughts on the regeneration, Joseph Condron said: “This place is part of our life. It’s got a really good community so we come down, have a look at the shops and speak to some friends. It’s like a daily pilgrimage.

“It’s sad to see it changing, but I think it’s had its time. It’s now time to develop it and the plans I’ve seen look really good and it’ll be a really positive thing for Bootle and the people who live here.”

These are sentiments shared by his stepson, Jose who has lived in Bootle all his life. He said: “A lot of people around here have been coming here all their lives and some will like the change whilst others will be sad, but overall I think it’s an exciting time.

“I’m really looking forward to see what’s planned here and how the town will move forward.”

Doreen Turner and visits The Strand every day

With all the talk of what’s to come, there are still plenty of people who remember what Bootle Strand used to be.

Doreen Turner has lived in Liverpool for 23 years and visits The Strand every day. She said: “It’s sad that a lot of the shops are going, and I’d like to see what they’re going to replace them with. I do hear there’s going to be a green area though, so we’ll see what that looks like.”

Barbara Tierney has been shopping on Stanley Street since before the Bootle Strand was even built. She said: “The Strand was absolutely fabulous back when it opened, just marvellous. It was a pleasure to come and see everything.

“But all the shops are closing that side so it’s probably time to knock it down.

“I must say the changes will be good for the young people with jobs and hopefully these changes will boost up the area a bit”

The Strand sits at the centre of Bootle and is the focal point for the residents. Many agree change was needed but it was clear any project to transform the area was a huge undertaking.

The Strand shopping centre was purchased by Sefton in 2017 for £32.5m

The historic shopping centre was purchased by Sefton in 2017 for £32.5m and the borough laid out plans for a landmark regeneration project to "secure its future".

Plans were accelerated in March 2023 with the award of £20m as part of the government’s Levelling Up fund.

Planning permission to demolish parts of the shopping centre was granted in December and the commencement of these works will represent the first phase of Bootle Strand’s re-purposing.

Margy is a stall holder and trader who operates within The Strand and she said: “I think anything they do to revamp the place and encourage shoppers and other traders to come in is a really good thing."

Elizabeth Price has been coming to The Strand for 50 years and says it was once the best place to shop in the region. She said: “The Strand is very a important place for people around here and parts of it will be greatly missed.

“I do like the fact they plan to build some new homes as that’s very important because more and more people need that."

Sefton Council said it was 100% committed to making the regeneration scheme accessible to everyone and has worked extensively with local residents and businesses.