Former M&S primed for change in Bootle
The first stage of the long-awaited transformation of the town’s Strand shopping centre heads to planning committee next week.
Included in this first phase application is public realm south of the shopping centre, and the reworking of the former M&S store into F&B and community spaces, with the design team stating the aim of phase one as creating immediate impact and changing perceptions.
Sefton Council bought the Strand as far back as 2017, paying £32.5m, and the road to stacking up the necessary funding support has been a long and complex one.
The local authority’s cabinet signed off on a masterplan for the Strand Transformation project in 2020, with architect K2 and planner Avison Young leading.
The professional team also includes landscape architect OPEN, principal designer Summers-Inman, and WSP advising on a number of areas including transport, MEP and structural and civil engineering.
Going before Sefton’s planning committee on 15 January is Phase 1 A-C of the project, covering the creation of a new town square, the refurbishment of the former M&S store (referred to as Block A), and creation of the Canalside element and interface with the already operational Salt & Tar outdoor venue.
The view from Salt & Tar, with the lower retail unit at the corner. Credit: planning documents
The phase will include some removal and demolition work to reconnect the Strand to Stanley Road and link up with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
The application site is located to the southern part of The Strand: to its west is Strand House, containing 79 flats. The canal forms the southern boundary and to the north the majority of the shopping centre, which is not at issue in this application.
According to the officer report, the six retail/F&B units lined up for the ex-M&S store will amount to a combined 7,671 sq ft, with 14,289 sq ft allocated for community/third sector space, and 5,326 sq ft of cultural/exhibition space.
A 3,658 sq ft lower ground floor unit will be repurposed to give an active frontage close to the canal/Sat & Tar interface. The Mons canopy, a distinctive feature of the 1960s-built centre, will be retained, but given a new cladding.
The public realm areas are key to laying the foundation for phases to follow and building up footfall, and different areas of focus are set out in K2’s design & access statement. Along with Canalside, which will be integrated with Salt & Tar, there will be a ‘dramatically increased’ civic space for Bootle in Mons Square, running through to Stanley Road. This will be linked to Canalside by the cascading Terrace Gardens.
Demolition works at the complex were signed off last year.
On completion and submission of the 2020 masterplan, the then-Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities signed off £20m to support the project, while Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is also providing support.
This is intended as the first of four phases in the overhaul of the shopping centre and its surrounds.
Approval is recommended, with no objections coming from statutory consultees or residents. Documents relating to the project can be viewed on Sefton Council’s planning portal with the reference DC/2024/01890.
Boosting the evening economy is key. Credit: planning documents
Appears to be very low density, wouldn’t it make sense to build flats above those units. More homes means more people, who is spend money locally and help to meet housing targets. The council should be using successful regeneration projects to base this on such as Elephant Park.
By GetItBuilt!
This is a shopping centre Sefton paid £32.5 million for as an investment, but they really don’t seem to be doing well getting interest from commercial occupiers.
Community and cultural stuff is a reasonable thing to put into empty existing space as a meanwhile use but still difficult to see how it will ever cover costs for the new/re build in the long term.
As for “changing perceptions” there isn’t a regular evening economy to boost beyond McDonald’s on Stanley Road, this is somewhere even Wetherspoons couldn’t make a go of, so it still seems to a mood board of things consultants have seen elsewhere rather than a viable business plan.
By Triad
Bootle has so much more than the Salt and tar , it’s just a tarmac fenced carpark , nothing has really changed since the van hire company was there .
Let’s all be honest this is just a way to acquire prime undeveloped canalside land to build appartements / houses for the influx of Southerners who have decided to move to our beautiful cheap Northern shores .
This regeneration has been long awaited but sadly who’s it for .
By Anonymous
@ Anon 9.19pm, so you reckon Southeners are moving to Bootle, if so great as we need a population boost. I suppose you’re not aware that many Scousers previously moved to London and the South East to live and work .
If developers did want to build flats to rent privately for incomers who settle here then good as there’s too much of this “local stuff for local people”business, we’re a big City Region that grew through immigration in the past so let’s act like one.
By Anonymous