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BOROUGH ROAD (PRENTON PARK)

LOCAL CENTRE

ACTION PLAN

By 2019, Borough Road (Prenton Park) will be thriving like never before. An improved shopping area, providing choice and convenience in retail and services, will be at the heart of the unique offer. Local residents and communities will have contributed to this success, and will be proud to play their part in sustaining improvements and in promoting Borough Road retail area to increasing numbers of visitors.

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INTRODUCTION What is the purpose of the action plan? This action plan provides a framework for the Council, businesses and the local community to work together towards the shared vision for their centre. It belongs to everyone who has a stake in the future of the area. The plan sets out activities and potential improvements which will build on the existing assets of Borough Road to shape the regeneration and management of this local centre. The plan shows how the Council, businesses and the local community will come together to deliver these activities and potential improvements. The many active traders and community and voluntary groups in the area will have a vital role to play in championing the vision and gathering local support. Part 1 of the action plan sets out what Borough Road is like now. Part 2 of the action plan sets out the vision for Borough Road. Part 3 of the action plan sets out the work programme which will make the vision for Borough Road as a local centre a reality. Part 4 of the action plan provides contact details and further information about those organisations involved in delivering the plan. How has the plan been developed? The Borough Road Retail Action Plan builds on the recent Wirral Retail and Leisure Study Update from March 2016 (Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners) which follows on from Wirral Town, District and Local Centre’s Study and Delivery Framework 2011 (“2011 Town Centre Study”), which represented a broader strategy for the regeneration and growth of the Borough’s 23 local, district and town centres outside Birkenhead. Detailed analysis and consultation work was undertaken in producing the latest Retail and Leisure Study, including wider consultation at a strategic level (Core Strategy) and more focused consultation with key stakeholders and traders. The findings and conclusions of this work form the starting point for the Borough Road Retail Action Plan. In producing the latest version of the plan further consultation work has been undertaken with key stakeholders and traders in the area, providing the opportunity for their input into the plan. The consultation responses and feedback have been captured within the Action Plan and have helped to inform the key issues identified. How does this document link to other plans and strategies? The Action Plan is related to and should be read in parallel with a number of other strategic planning documents, including the Wirral Unitary Development Plan (UDP), the emerging Core Strategy along with the Neighbourhood Plan for Devonshire Park which was formally adopted (following independent examination) in December 2015. It will also provide an evidence base to inform more detailed aspects of the Local Plan for Wirral, including the proposed site specific Local Plan and a potential ‘Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document’ (SPD). The Action Plan for Borough Road will not be adopted as a Development Plan Document and will remain non-statutory, but it will be used to shape the future of the

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area and inform the key priorities emerging from the development of the Constituency Plan for Birkenhead. Further information regarding these documents can be found via the following link: http://www.wirral.gov.uk/planning-and-building/local-plans-and-planning-policy/local-plans

  The Retail Action Plans are integral to Wirral Council Plan: A 2020 vision and will underpin the small business pledge “to improve local high streets and our town centre economy”. The Borough Road Local Centre Action Plan sits alongside the Traders Toolkit which provides helpful information to town centre businesses on a range of issues such as planning and licensing. This publication can be viewed at: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/business/investment-strategy/investing-places/town-centres-wirral

Statutory Non -Statutory

Core Strategy/ Neighbourhood

Plan

Town Centre Strategy

Town Centre Toolkit

Town Centre Action Plans

Site specific Local Plan

Town Centres SPD

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1. WHAT IS BOROUGH ROAD (PRENTON PARK) LIKE NOW? This section sets out what this area is like now in terms of:

• Identity, sense of place and the streetscene • Retail and services offer • Accessibility and transport links • Local events and marketing activities

Theme 1: Identity, sense of place and the streetscene The Borough Rd retail area is a long linear parade, along the western side of a very busy thoroughfare. Although a relatively small, albeit compact local centre dominated by service uses it appears to be functioning satisfactorily and meeting most of the needs of local residents. The streetscene is starting to look run down and there are areas that clearly could now benefit from some environmental enhancements and renewals to the public realm. The northern end specifically, close to the junction with Singleton Avenue is showing signs of decline, not least, as this area currently has the greatest number of vacant units and consequently an increasing number of inactive frontages. Similarly there are a small number of shop frontages of poor quality which would benefit from improved maintenance from the owners. Collectively this creates the impression that there is no real vibrancy within the centre and as a result no real sense of arrival. There is a strong sense of ‘community spirit’ and ‘civic pride’ in the local area and this is testament to the work of organisations such as Devonshire Park Residents Association (DEPRA) and St Joseph’s Parish Centre both of whom have an integral role to play in promoting the interests of the community, whilst preserving the unique character and balance of the neighbourhood. Theme 2: Retail and services offer The retail and services offer is located solely on the western side of Borough Rd with a handful of businesses located on Prenton Road West at the southern end. There are a couple of neighbouring businesses (Birch Tree public house and Tranmere Rovers FC) located on the opposite side of Prenton Rd West, but these currently fall outside the scope of the likely centre boundary (in planning terms) for Borough Rd, to be included in a future site-specific local plan. The 2011 Town Centre Study identified the centre as being dominated by service uses (54% of the total number of units), with the comparison offer running at 24% and convenience provision at 9%. The percentage of units given over to services was marginally above the study average (50%) at the time. Whilst comparison retailing was well above the study average of 19%, conversely convenience retailing was marginally below the study average of 10%.

In relation to upper floor uses, the most prevalent use was residential (84%) followed by offices related to ground floor businesses (8%) and storage related to the ground floor businesses (5%). A resurvey in 2016 suggests that there have been some minor changes to these uses in the intervening period – a marginal increase in the use of convenience retailing up to 12%, with the comparison offer having decreased significantly to 16%. In comparison the number of service related businesses remained relatively static at 55%.

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Convenience retailing is centred primarily on a Tesco Express and Iceland at the southern end of Borough Rd with a McColls store located to the north. The range of services within the area currently include a bakery, florist, bookmakers, off licence, launderette, dog grooming business, a tattooist, two barbers, along with a variety of other health & beauty salons. These are complemented by a number of hot food takeaways, a public house, and Mexican and Italian restaurants, all of which make a valuable contribution to the evening economy. In common with a number of other retail areas in the borough, there are however no longer any banks, building societies or a post office on Borough Rd offering ‘paying in’ facilities for residents and businesses alike. The 2011 Town Centre Study highlighted that the percentage of vacant units in the area was 9%, which was below the borough average of 12% at the time. In the period since then the resurvey has identified that the level of vacancy rates has increased to 16%, a worrying trend in the current climate. Whilst upper floor uses are predominantly residential and offices, as yet no ground floor units have been converted exclusively for residential purposes. Theme 3: Accessibility and transport links Borough Road is located on a main thoroughfare through the borough which is well served by public transport, with a resident population of approximately 9,700 people located within a 10 minute walk of the centre. The retail area lies on a number of main bus routes with excellent direct links to Birkenhead, Eastham, Heswall, Moreton and West Kirby. In addition frequent cross river services to Liverpool City Centre operate in close proximity along Borough Rd at its junction with Singleton Avenue. There are also frequent services to Ellesmere Port, Chester and Broughton via an interchange. Some of these services form part of the Quality Bus Network, enabling passengers to use tickets from Arriva or Stagecoach on either operator’s services. There have been recent improvements to the bus stops within the area and Merseytravel will continue to improve the provision of information at bus stops across the network in the future. This could eventually include the introduction of real time information. The nearest Merseyrail station (Birkenhead Central) lies 1 ½ miles away, providing excellent connections to Birkenhead and Liverpool City Centre along with other parts of the Merseyrail network from as far as Southport to the north and Chester in the south. Given the physical layout of the area, parking presents a number of significant challenges, with the number of parking spaces at a premium, often resulting in the dispersal of parking to residential areas, much to the annoyance of local residents. On road parking is restricted to just four bays on the western side of Borough Road, limited to 90 minutes between 9.00am and 10.00pm Monday – Saturday. Due to the close proximity of the football ground a resident permit scheme is in operation on match days to assist those living in the adjacent roads. Cycle links to Borough Road are generally good, but there is currently no separate cycleway along the road itself. There are a number of cycle racks along the stretch of pavement on Borough Road in front of the shops, which would seem to signify a desire for cyclists to bike to the area. However these appear to be underutilised.

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Theme 4: Local events and marketing activities As the centre is on a main thoroughfare, which is linear in nature there are very few natural open or green spaces available to support high street events or activities. In the absence of any civic facilities within the area it is left to the football club to provide a focal point for the community, through its acclaimed Tranmere Rovers in the Community initiative. Working across the four core themes of social inclusion, health, education and sports participation, the community team's work has expanded from coaching in schools to a wide range of projects covering all ages and abilities, the majority of which are now run from its Recreation Centre. Similarly the St Joseph’s Parish Centre located on Greenbank Rd is a focal point for all aspects of community life, with great usage made of the parish hall and social club for public meetings, various interest groups and family ceremonies and celebrations 2. WHAT IS THE VISION FOR BOROUGH ROAD? The environment and public realm along Borough Road is beginning to look “tired” and in need of investment. Every opportunity to bring much needed colour to the streetscape through the provision of planters and hanging baskets afforded through “Birkenhead in Bloom” initiative should be thoroughly explored. The increasing number of empty units and areas of inactive frontage towards Singleton Avenue junction is becoming a cause of concern locally and the condition of some of the shop frontages and shutters overall are such that they would clearly benefit from painting and improved maintenance. The introduction of new litter bins and seating could provide a much needed “lift” to the area and create a sense of arrival as could the introduction of festive Christmas lighting, as no provision currently exists. The retail area benefits from having a strong catchment area, the socio economic profile of which continues to provide strong support for the centre as a whole and its role for convenience food shopping and comparison goods and services. It could though clearly benefit from providing a more diverse or niche offer in future, in order to attract new customers to the area and mitigate leakage to neighbouring shopping areas. The opportunity to encourage the take up of vacant units for use by young entrepreneurs or to establish community businesses and social enterprises could be explored, drawing on the experience and know how of Hope Place on Woodchurch Road. The Borough Road area is well served by public transport and a residential catchment within easy walking distance of the centre. Increased usage of the centre on foot or by cycle could be more actively encouraged to help reduce traffic congestion and help alleviate current parking constraints. This could be achieved through the proactive engagement of business owners with the authority’s Business Travel Support Team to identify alternative sustainable travel solutions for their employees. Given the lack of available space in the area in general though, the opportunity to create additional off road parking opportunities will be limited in the short to medium term. Borough Road is identified as a Traditional Suburban Centre in the UDP and the emerging Core Strategy lists the area as a “Local Centre” in the new hierarchy of retail centres proposed in Policy CS25. At the time of writing, it is not envisaged that the centre boundary shown on the UDP Proposals Map will be contracted or expanded in a future site-specific Local Plan. It is anticipated the football club will continue to remain as a sports ground

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protected from development under UDP Proposal RE6 and the neighbouring public house (Birch Tree) will for planning purposes continue to remain within the Primary Residential Area designation. In the 2011 Town Centre study Borough Road was identified as one of only a handful of retail areas deemed to be functioning well in its role as a local centre. Future change in this area will be monitored through the rolling programme of surveys undertaken in all the borough’s centres. Due to the physical layout of the area and general lack of open spaces, opportunities to raise the profile of shops and services in the centre, through annual or seasonal events are extremely limited. Both DEPRA and St Joseph’s Parish Centre do however organise a number of community related activities during the course of the year which if promoted correctly could encourage linked trips and increased footfall to the shopping area. The role of Tranmere Rovers and specifically the successful Football in the Community initiative as a focal point within the community cannot be underestimated too. Opportunities to strengthen relationships between local businesses and the club itself should be actively pursued to facilitate improved business prospects and for the “greater good” of the area as a whole. There are therefore some opportunities to improve the identity of this area of Borough Road and to introduce an improved and more balanced offer, by attracting new retailers and users to the area, in order to secure its sustainable future. Local traders/businesses, community groups and residents will therefore all be expected to play a key role in this. Taking all this into account the vision for the area is that:

By 2019, Borough Road (Prenton Park) will be thriving like never before. An improved shopping area, providing choice and convenience in retail and services, will be at the heart of the unique offer. Local residents and communities will have contributed to this success, and will be proud to play their part in sustaining improvements and in promoting Borough Road retail area to increasing numbers of visitors.

3. HOW WILL THE VISION BE DELIVERED? The analysis undertaken as part of the Town Centre Study for Borough Road and the work involved in developing the Action Plan have helped identify key issues, objectives and potential interventions, which if implemented can help the area maximise its potential. These are summarised within the delivery plan overleaf:

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Theme 1: Identity, Sense of Place and the Streetscene AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE

TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM

Improving the environmental quality and provide an interesting and active streetscape

A cleaner, greener and more attractive Borough Road A more useable public realm High quality shop fronts, signage and conversions throughout the centre

Explore opportunities through “Birkenhead in Bloom” campaign to introduce planters & hanging baskets in appropriate locations funded through grants (Community First, Your Wirral, Love Wirral etc), donations, sponsorship & fundraising opportunities Explore opportunities to introduce festive Christmas lights to enliven the streetscene Provision of litter bins and the introduction of bench seating Promote the Trader’s Toolkit to help preserve the unique character of the Village

Wirral Council/local

businesses /community groups

(by March 2017)

Wirral Council /local businesses

/community groups (by December 2017)

Wirral Council /local businesses

/community groups (by June 2017)

Wirral Council /local businesses

/community groups (ongoing)

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Theme 2: Retail and Services Offer AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE

TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM

A more vibrant and sustainable centre

A diverse retail offer that can attract and retain customers all year round and resist loss to other areas

Establish a business/traders association utilising existing knowledge & skills to work together on improving the scope, attractiveness and offer Encourage property owners/landlords to actively encourage new niche businesses into empty units to diversify the offer Undertake a residents survey to determine the types of shops & services they would wish to see in the area Explore opportunities to develop community businesses in area (through training & awareness raising amongst young people)

Local businesses

(by June 2017)

Local businesses

/landlords (ongoing)

DEPRA/Ward Members/TRFC in the Community (by March 2017)

Local businesses/community groups/Wirral Chamber of

Commerce

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Theme 3: Accessibility and Transport Links

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Improve visitors experience of the shopping area

Provide ‘on the run’ parking opportunities that balance the needs of businesses & shoppers

Monitor use of parking bays by employees and engage with Business Travel Support Team to identify alternative sustainable travel solutions

Wirral Council

(by March 2017)

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Theme 4: Local Events and Marketing Activities

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Increase footfall, visitors and spend to Borough Road

A lively, interesting and useable retail area with improved vitality and providing a better visitor experience for shoppers Strengthen the links between Tranmere Rovers Football Club, local businesses & community groups (DEPRA & St Joseph’s Parish Centre)

Consider the introduction of a range of incentives to promote the offer- ‘shop local’, loyalty cards, etc. Proactive use of existing websites & social media to promote events & activities to encourage linked trips to the area

Local businesses

(by June 2017)

TRFC/local businesses /Community Groups

(ongoing)

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4. KEY CONTACTS AND SUPPORT

Wirral Council

Neil Mitchell (Regeneration Team) - 0151 691 8423 / neilmitchell@wirral.gov.uk Jo Burrell (Constituency Manager – Birkenhead) - 0151 666 3897 / joannaburrell@wirral.gov.uk The Wirral Events Advisory Group acts as a one stop shop to provide organisers of public events in Wirral with appropriate advice and guidance to enable events to take place safely. Tel (0151) 606 2290 or e-mail: events@wirral.gov.uk Further information including a copy of the guide, Organising Public Events in Wirral is available from the Council’s website via the link below: www.wirral.gov.uk/communities-and-neighbourhoods/organising-outdoor-events

Useful websites Association of Town Centre Management - www.atcm.org 100 Ways - www.100ways.org.uk/ British Retail Consortium – www.brc.org.uk Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills Department for Communities and Local Government - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government Design Council - www.designcouncil.org.uk/ Living Streets – www.livingstreets.co.uk Sustrans – www.sustrans.org.uk All Council services (including lists of Ward Councillors) – www.wirral.gov.uk Prenton Ward Councillors: Angela Davies – angeladavies@wirral.gov.uk or telephone (0151) 608 7223 Tony Norbury – tonynorbury@wirral.gov.uk or telephone 07952 297652 Denise Realey – denisereally@wirral.gov.uk or telephone (0151) 652 3059  Other local websites and contacts of interest: Devonshire Park Residents Association - https://www.facebook.com/Devonshire-Park-Residents-Association-156725127723789/ St Joseph’s Parish Centre - www.yourparishcentre.co.uk/venue/st-josephs-birkenhead Tranmere Rovers FC - www.tranmererovers.co.uk/club/community