Sefton Council and its partners have submitted a £19.2 million bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, entitled ‘Reimagining Crosby’ the bid includes plans for a new state-of-the-art library in the town centre along with community facilities, a new Health and Wellbeing Hub and 30 new apartment homes.
Located on the site of the current Green Car Park and combined with the library, the Health and Wellbeing Hub will be able to provide central GP services and other community health provision. Further details of the centre’s design are still to be finalised.
Alongside the library and Wellbeing Hub, the Levelling Up Fund bid also includes improved access to the town centre. The strong focus on making Crosby more pedestrian and cycle friendly is in line with the Council climate emergency declaration and commitment to active travel.
This will remove barriers, enhance the ease of movement and improve access to the public spaces in and around the Centre, making them more user friendly for all kinds of journeys. Improvement to town centre parking is included in the bid, with additional spaces provided, as well as electric vehicle charging points.
The Bid’s proposals will support the recovery of Crosby improving access to local services, diversifying what the town can offer and encouraging people to stay for longer.
Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council said:
“Our approach to the Levelling Up Fund has focused on bringing benefits to local people and developing opportunities for jobs, investment and recovery to parts of our Borough that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
“Health, wellbeing and community are at the heart of our £19.2million ‘Reimagining Crosby’ bid, which has been designed to deliver a range of benefits to people in Crosby and across our Borough.”
Sefton Council is also submitting a £14.5 million bid designed to kick-start nearby Bootle’s economy.
Cllr Maher added:
“The projects being submitted as part of our bid for funding are varied, ambitious and will shine a light on what Crosby and Bootle have to offer, bringing much needed footfall and focus to our town centres.”
Bill Esterson MP for Sefton Central said:
“The vision of a new village centre would make Crosby a very attractive destination for many people living nearby and from further afield and would revitalise a centre that is in need of a significant investment.”
Dr Craig Gillespie, Clinical Director for Bootle, Crosby and Maghull Primary Care Network said:
“The proposed Crosby town centre project is a great opportunity to knit modern health and social care services in to the heart of our community; it could allow a Primary Care Network hub to develop and deliver services ‘closer to home’, thereby impacting on the wider determinants of health and reducing inequalities.”
Consultation will take place on the Library and Health and Wellbeing Hub proposals, alongside other works including highway changes and plans for the improvement of other public areas in the town centre as these schemes progress.
If the necessary Levelling Up Funding is approved the Library and Health and Wellbeing Hub could be opening its doors as early as the second half of 2023.
Sefton is eligible to submit up to three bids to the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which has been established to invest in projects focused on town centre and high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage schemes.
