Sefton picks Atkins and WSP to support town centre plans
Atkins and WSP’s transport planning teams have been chosen by Sefton Council to support emerging developments in Bootle, Southport and Crosby town centres.
Sefton said it was beginning to draw up plans for key sites in Southport, Bootle, and Crosby, all of which include extensive reviews of the town centres’ access and transport plans.
The council said it did not have the “capability or capacity” to undertake extensive transport planning for the projects, with its transport planning and highways teams already under “significant pressure”.
Major overhauls proposed for the borough’s towns include a £100m investment in Bootle, while a development framework for both Bootle and Southport town centres was approved in 2016.
The council also bought the 400,000 sq ft Bootle Strand shopping centre in May last year, which forms a key part of the regeneration proposals.
As part of the consultants’ appointment, WSP and Atkins will help to prepare bids for City Region funding for transport improvements, and will support the council in transport assessments, traffic modelling, economic assessment, modelling and engineering, and contract supervision.
Sefton has developed a number of strategic transport schemes as part of its local plan, and the consultants will also help to provide detailed design, appraisal, and development to support funding and delivery.
There are some nice streets and pleasant, under-used old Victorian buildings around Bootle Oriel Rd metro station that lend themselves well to conversion to tourism accommodation.
It’s only 3 stops and five minutes from Moorfields underground station and could be a useful overflow for Liverpool’s hotel market or for Airbnb tourism rentals. The immediate area as seen lots of regeneration in recent years and is starting to look a bit more spruce – got to be scope for this sort of thing, surely?
By Sceptical
The day Knowsley and Sefton are finally merged into Liverpool will be a great day for the Scouse population and wider city region.
By Graham
Agree that Bootle Oriel Road area has a lot of potential. Need to push forward with cultural plans for old museum and Baliol Road baths. Bring back the Egyptian collection from the Atkinson…, and think about using Leeds-Liverpool canal to link Stanley Road, redeveloping canal-side of Strand for restaurants.
By Paul B
Crosby needs mitigation measures to join the village back up to the surrounding areas, rectifying the 1960s ‘ring-road’ that encircles the village cutting it off.
By Paul B
Atkins are the consultants who designed the original plan for Switch Island! A certain Robin Kimber was among the panel on the public consultations for the options A/B for the Port Access route! When I pointed out to him that the existing Dock Road should be used for port access with a link into the Mersey Tunnel and M53 his response was astounding! I quote, “That is brilliant, and it would save a shed load of money”. So we discussed the matter further o be sure he had it clear. ” Next quote,”So you are saying that we build a link into the Wallasey Tunnel from the A565?” My response, “That only requires a link to the Tunnel entrance on Scotland Road. I am talking about the Dock Road with a link into the tunnel at Costco / Waterloo dock. That would contain all the port traffic within the existing dock area_ and take all the traffic away from South Sefton, and provide motorway access using existing routes! (The M53 is one of the most under used motorways in the country!)
At this point he blew my socks off! Quote:” Are you telling me that there is another road between the A565 and the docks!”
My response:”Yes, it is known as The Dock Road”
So desire all of the millions pumped into the Infrastructure planning and thought processes for the region, the company who drew up the plans did not know there was a Dock Road!!
If you find that unbelievable – try this one! The same guy has recently been promoted within Atkins. Now he is in a position to make even bigger mistakes!
Oh, just to finish,- the original Switch Island ,(which was designed by computer modelling) became van accident blackspot and required intervention in The House Of Commons by M.P. Bill Esterson and a further huge investment to revise the layout_ approach routes and signage to reduce the accident rate!
It is really good to see(NOT!) that the same outfit are being entrusted with further developments in Sefton with the designer of the current monstrosity is higher up in the company! Little wonder that people distrust oval councils when multi million pounds are being made available!! What’s farce this country has become!!
By JohnMcDonald
@johnmacdonald – this sounds like a conversation you had in your own head
By Anonymous