Liscard Together Partnership – Revitalising Liscard Town Centre Workshop
A workshop was held by Wirral Council’s Regeneration and Place Directorate to explore the appetite for forming a Liscard town centre partnership. The workshop gathered stakeholder’s views on the town’s strengths and gaps, and their vision for the future of the town centre. This workshop was the starting point to the establishment of a new town centre regeneration process and town centre partnership for Liscard called the Liscard Together Partnership.
Insights gathered: February 2023
Insights gathered by
Wirral Council’s Regeneration and Place Directorate and IntoPlaces
Aim
In September 2022, High Streets Task Force provided support to Liscard and recommended establishing a town partnership to drive change within the town centre. Following this, Wirral Council sought to bring together the town’s key stakeholders at a workshop to explore the appetite for forming a town centre partnership. The workshop encouraged stakeholders to develop an initial ‘road map’ for revitalising the town, and make commitments to drive forward the partnership.
People engaged with
There were 25 Liscard town centre stakeholders present at the workshop. Attendees were from a wide variety of sectors and disciplines, including local traders, businesses, community/voluntary groups and residents.
Methods
The workshop took place on the 28th February 2023 at Hebron Church in Liscard. The workshop was facilitated by two members of IntoPlaces, who were commissioned by Wirral Council to support the development of the town partnership.
The workshop was structured into three parts to gather insights on:
- The town’s strengths, unique selling points, and its gaps
- The changes needed to revitalise Liscard and the activities that would be needed to make this happen
- What commitments the stakeholders could make to the partnership, and which sub-working groups (People, Place and Business) the may like to be aligned to.
The attendees were divided into small focus groups to discuss their ideas. During the workshop, a visual artist captured notes in the form of drawings and text to illustrate the main ideas. Afterwards, thematic analysis was used to draw out key themes.
Key insights
Strengths and unique selling points
Attendees spoke of the community spirit in Liscard. Unique selling points included the town’s good transport links to Liverpool and Chester, and that the centre is compact and within walkable distance for most. The combination of big brands and specialist shops and independents was highlighted as a strength.
Gaps
In terms of gaps, a key theme was a view that the town has a ‘low value’ retail offer, limited evening economy and little for young or older people to do in the town. There was a perception of anti-social behaviour in the town centre, particularly in the evening. Attendees felt there is a lack of engagement with the town from landlords and property owners.
Changes needed
Attendees desired greater collaborative working with retailers, business and individuals in Liscard. They highlighted the need for an enhanced offer across the town, covering retail, culture and leisure which they felt could be addressed through the provision of a new community hub. There was a feeling that the appearance of the town could be improved. Active promotion of the town across all media channels was suggested.
Vision for the town centre
The stakeholders collectively agreed the vision for Liscard town centre as a ‘town centre that is more diverse, more people-focused, more social and more attractive’.
Commitments
The workshop garnered 13 commitments from stakeholders across a number of support areas. Attendees showed interest in developing a town centre partnership, and some attendees expressed their interest in joining sub-working groups, including People, Place and Business subgroups.
Next steps
Following the first workshop, Wirral Council and Into Places continued to work with the Partnership up until March 2025 to support its governance, stakeholder capacity building, action plans, branding, and funding streams.
How have the insights been used/shared?
Liscard Together Partnership launched officially in June 2024 and continues to deliver a wide range of activities that address the identified gaps, including youth markets, planting, and a business newsletter. The activities have helped towards increasing footfall in Liscard and reducing vacant shop units and antisocial behaviour. The partnership has gained national recognition for its positive approach to regeneration.
Online links
More information about the Liscard Together Partnership and the visual illustrations of the workshop discussions can be found on the Partnership's website here: https://liscardtogether.co.uk/
More information about Wirral Council's regeneration plans and activities in Liscard can be found here: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/business/regeneration/liscard-town-centre
Contact
For more information about the February 2023 workshop please email hannahaustin@wirral.gov.uk.
If businesses or local community groups/residents want to get involved with Liscard Together Partnership to make a positive difference to Liscard town centre please email: gordon.smith@cherrytreecentre.co.uk