Liscard levelling up money must lead to massive facelift, locals says

Louise Powell said supporting small businesses was one way the town could improve

A council must use levelling up money to give an area of a town a "massive facelift", its residents have said.

Wirral Council recently found out its previously rejected bid for £10.7m to regenerate Liscard had been granted.

People on its high street said they wanted a wider variety of shops, streets cleaned, antisocial behaviour tackled and roads improved.

Wallasey councillor Ian Lewis said he hoped the money would be "the start of genuine regeneration of the area".

Liscard's regeneration was one of 55 projects across the country to be awarded funding, though to qualify, Wirral Council has to show it can deliver the scheme by March 2026.

The original levelling up bid for Liscard included investment in community facilities, upgraded shop frontages and unlocking development potential for leisure and retail, as well as improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

As part of its local plan, Wirral Council put forward proposals for hundreds of homes, new public spaces, a multi-storey car park, new trees, and plants.

'Nowhere to shop'

Louise Powell, who moved to Liscard two years ago, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that supporting small businesses was one way the town could improve.

"The more local people who are working locally, the more likely people will go and use the town centre and support surrounding businesses," she said.

"A big thing is parking because so many people have been put off by parking.

"That has been a big one for people, especially for the people who can't get around as much."

Jake Bailey said Liscard's high street was now "just charity shops, cheap shops, casinos and bookies"

Yvonne Warren, who lives in the area, said it needed a tidy up but also more security.

"At night-time, it's awful," she said, adding that it needed "lighting, security, and some decent shops".

Kate, who works at the Tower Hotel on Liscard Way, said there was "nowhere for young people to shop".

"I also think it's hard for older people," she added.

"We have a lot of older customers and it's not accessible with bank branches going."

'On the up'

Jake Bailey, who runs Stollies Cafe and Deli, agreed that getting rid of the banks was not "a good start".

"They need some strong alternatives," he said.

"Back in the day, they used to have so many shops - M&S, Woolworths - now it's just charity shops, cheap shops, casinos and bookies."

Vanessa Quarless, from Community Food, said she believed a community hub would be a good start, as it would be somewhere where people "could meet together and be friends".

"We have people coming in here looking for stuff to do," she added.

Liscard's Labour councillor Janette Williamson, said the area was "on the up".

"It is seeing more and more independent businesses base themselves here, and this will go a long way to giving local traders and residents a well-deserved boost of confidence," she added.

Mr Williamson, the Conservative councillor for Wallasey, said he hoped the money "won't be wasted on branding and logos, but will be the start of genuine regeneration of the area".