Millions of pounds are to be invested into upgrades on one of the city’s busiest networks
19:30, 06 Jan 2026Updated 19:42, 06 Jan 2026
The closed off Queens Drive,Mossley Hill.(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A major upgrade of “the most contentious piece of road in Liverpool” will go ahead despite concerns being raised about a perceived lack of consultation over the sensitivity of the scheme. As the city council signed off for Christmas, leaders signed off on proposals to award a £1.8m contract for upgrades along Queens Drive.
According to officials, this aims to improve journey times and reliability, reduce congestion, enhance safety by reducing crashes and improve access to essential services. The work is focused at the southern end of the road around Sefton Park, Mossley Hill and Penny Lane.
However, the works were the subject of a backlash from opposition politicians who asked the local authority to look again at the project. An often-times heated and ill-tempered meeting was convened at Liverpool Town Hall for the Liberal Democrat members to put their side across.
A call-in request was submitted by councillors Richard Kemp CBE, Robert McAllister-Bell, Andrew Makinson and Rebecca Turner after the decision was taken on December 16. They believe there has been a lack of consultation over the development.
In its justification for carrying out the work, Liverpool Council said improvements would be made to the carriageway, footways and highway drainage infrastructure. This comes following criticism for the local authority on its management of flooding around Queens Drive after the tragic death of Elaine and Philip Marco in August 2023.
Elaine and Philip Marco(Image: Merseyside Police/PA Wire )
A senior coroner told their inquest last year how city officials had failed to recognise a risk to life caused by flooding in the area. Cllr Kemp, the lead councillor for the call-in, said he held regret at instigating the meeting.
He said: “I regret the lack of consultation and I regret the quality of the report submitted to you. This raises more questions than answers.
“The proposed redevelopment is close to where two people died two and a half years ago. While this went through the system officers were attending the inquest.
“This is the most contentious piece of road in Liverpool and we all know why.” Cllr Kemp said “common sense dictates” procedure which said statutory consultation was not required should have been ignored given the sensitivity of the area.
The veteran councillor also said the report before members was drawn up during a period when the road was closed due to flooding. The local authority said choosing not to deliver the improvement works would result in continued deterioration of the highways and may lead to future interventions being more costly and disruptive.
Officials said it would also “fail to support the council’s objective on achieving net zero carbon status by 2030 and promoting a sustainable transport network”. Cllr Kemp added how he felt it was important all stakeholders were working together to avoid ongoing roadworks.
Cllr Dan Barrington, cabinet member for transport and connectivity, said the council had an obligation to keep the roads to a “safe and sustainable” standard. Citing the findings of the coroner last year, the Labour deputy leader said works taken out by United Utilities would only reduce the risk of flooding on Queens Drive.
He added: “Therefore, we have to provide resilience to the network.” Cllr Barrington cited the aging nature of the carriageway and cracking in the road infrastructure which added to the risk of water penetration.
He said improvement works would not remove the risk entirely but would ensure any closures of the road as a result would ultimately be shorter. The committee agreed to back the original cabinet decision, allowing it to move forward.