Turnaround plan mapped out for Prescot town centre
Knowsley Council has agreed a masterplan for Prescot including residential sites and a focus on leisure and heritage assets to regenerate the area.
The Prescot Town Centre Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document identifies potential growth and development opportunities and will guide investment up to 2028.
One of the oldest settlements in Merseyside, Prescot is a town with a unique and rich heritage and the plan aims to build on this and transform the town centre into a thriving attractive destination with new cultural and leisure facilities, an independent retail offer and a successful evening economy.
Cllr Mike Murphy, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development said: “We are all aware that the shape of local town centres and the retail sector continues to change and in order to ensure that Knowsley’s town centres thrive, we need to respond to those changes.
“To help us do this, we are developing masterplans for each of our town centres and Prescot is the first to have a long term plan in place that will help to attract the right type of development and investment to support our ambitious plans.”
Along with retail, leisure and commercial development opportunities, the masterplan highlights the opportunities for residential development that will enable more people to live at the heart of the town, improvements to transport connections and options to create an environment and spaces that people want to visit and spend time.
Cllr Murphy added: “Plans for the new Shakespeare Theatre, the acquisition by Geraud UK of the shopping centre, investment into the Townscape Heritage Initiative and our ambitions for a cinema and hotel in the town centre all demonstrate the existing commitment and growing confidence in Prescot as a place that people want to be.”
The Prescot Town Centre Masterplan SPD has been developed following extensive consultation with elected members, local businesses, residents, other organisations and at community events. It is available to view on the council’s website along with accompanying documents.
Peter Brett Associates and Environmental Associates advised Knowsley Council.
Years and years, maybe decades, too late…
By Dave Herbert
Prescot is special – first turnpike road from Liverpool and described by Pevsner as ‘the most perfect Georgian town’, a bit shabby these days, but with the Shakespeare connections and its good railway link to Liverpool this town has the best potential to the east of the city for tourism and as an attractive place to live. The area round the old church is worth exploring and the clock and watch museum gives a good picture of an early industry usurped by the Swiss.
By Alfie
Let’s hope it goes better than the disgraceful efforts in Kirkby town centre. The poor people of that borough.
By John Brown
I’m sure they’ll be banging on the doors of Prescot to hear about the usurped clocks and turnpikes. We’re going to need a new runway at Speke to cope with the rush
By history
Better connections between the railway and the town centre would be a major boost. There is severance caused by the retail park and subsequent housing developments.
By Anon
You have to start somewhere and better late than never… the town can piggy back on Liverpool’s offer, but the Shakespeare connection and the ‘Tudor’ theatre will be unique in the north. You need more than just the city centre to spread the benefits even with Chester and Southport, and perhaps even Waterloo….
By Alfie
Poor Knowsley…….cannabis farm capital of Europe…….
By Alan Flixton
Why be so negative, you got an axe to grind!
By Alfie
..or maybe just a chip on your shoulder…
By Alfie
Prescot could be Liverpool’s Bury. Think of the possibilities…
By zebith
Prescot was never a mill town, different kettle of fish.
By Alfie
True. Neither was Liverpool.
GM just is a cluster of scabby former mill towns really isn’t it.
By zebith
Merseyside of course is so much better,with the poorest city in Europe at the core of it,Birkenhead,a few posh suburbs on the Wirral that want to be in Cheshire,oh and the Havana of the North,St Helens. We could include Southport,but they wouldn’t like it.
By Elephant
History don’t worry about a new runway at Speke. We already have 2 at Manchester, to help out with the influx of people who might want to visit Prescott,or travel further down the East Lancs for a Beatles tour,or visit the museum of ‘woe is me’
By Elephant