Doing nothing with the future of a historic Liverpool country park “simply isn’t an option” according to a city assistant mayor as parking charges become a possibility.
The future of Croxteth Hall and country park has been under the spotlight after Liverpool Council admitted it needed to look at new ways to manage its heritage assets. The local authority released the findings of a five week consultation on Wednesday that sought people’s views on how and why they use the park, which currently costs the cash-strapped authority £1m to maintain.
City council officials said they needed to explore commercial opportunities to bring in broadly supported by respondents and park users was the introduction of an environmentally friendly car park with a nominal parking fee. For general parking the price of £2 per visit received the most support, and for parking for an event it was £5 per car.
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More than 3,700 people responded to the consultation, with 95% from the city. Of those, two thirds said they were regular visitors. The most popular current facilities are the toilets and the on-site café/coffee van.
Responding to the findings, Cllr Harry Doyle, assistant mayor and cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, said the park was a city gem. He said: “I live near my park and have very fond memories of spending time there – I loved the old Christmas market inside the hall – so it really resonated with me to read the recollections of other park users.
“It’s so important to have a greater understanding of what people really value about this city gem and what options they are willing to consider if it means generating an income which can be reinvested in the hall and gardens. Doing nothing simply isn’t an option – we need to implement new ideas which will result in investment in our heritage.
“The passion and love came through loud and clear in the responses and it’s reassuring that residents and visitors are on the same page as us – not only do we want to retain the location’s beauty and character, we want to build on it and make it the attraction it deserves to be.”
New commercial activities were “welcomed across the board” in the survey, such as food and artisan markets, crazy golf, outdoor climbing, a miniature railway and a new café/bistro. More benches, new picnic areas, information noticeboards, dog walking guidelines and a review of opening times were things that those surveyed believed could improve the park.
A proposed subscription for the upkeep of the Victorian Walled Garden was rejected in the survey, with more than 2,000 people saying no. Respondents were split over a possible pet crematorium, which the local authority estimates could save the council £80,000 next year, with 37% in favour, 34% against and 29% unsure.
Angie Redhead, head of city assets, said: “This has been a really worthwhile process and thanks to this invaluable feedback, we are now in a position to look seriously about how we can breathe new life into the venue and its surrounding spaces. Having worked closely with the Croxteth team for a number of years, I know how passionate our park users are, but reading those memories really struck a chord with me and I’m pleased we’re bringing people along with us on this transformative journey.
“There are key learning points from these results which we will take on board, particularly in relation to the pet crematorium. We’re already putting plans in place to work more with residents on this matter, to ensure they have a thorough understanding of the proposals.
“This is just the start of the process and I look forward to seeing plans unfold for this much-loved Hall and park.” The results of the survey will now be fully explored, evaluated and costed up based on available funding to establish if they can be adopted.
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