{"id":398048,"date":"2025-09-04T19:37:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/398048\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T19:37:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:37:16","slug":"town-set-to-become-home-to-citys-match-goers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/398048\/","title":{"rendered":"Town set to become ‘home to city’s match goers’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Council approved a Supplementary Capital Estimate of \u00a317.935m as part of it’s regeneration plans for Bootle Strand<\/p>\n

19:23, 04 Sep 2025Updated 19:24, 04 Sep 2025<\/p>\n

\"FansFans make their way to the stadium before Premier League match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium(Image: Nick Potts\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

Bootle is set to become home to the city\u2019s match-goers, according to Sefton<\/a> Council, as it looks to improve links with the Hill Dickinson stadium and bolster the town\u2019s leisure and night-time economies.<\/p>\n

Stephen Watson is Sefton Council\u2019s executive director for place and includes leading the regeneration project in Bootle<\/a> Town Centre. Mr Watson presented the Strand Business Plan report to Sefton Council\u2019s cabinet at Southport<\/a> town hall this morning (September 4), and asked councillors to approve a series of recommendations, including a Supplementary Capital Estimate of \u00a317.935m.<\/p>\n

Demolition at Bootle Strand has officially begun<\/a> marking the first phase of a major regeneration project. Sefton Council said the transformation of the iconic shopping centre will revitalise the area and mark the next chapter for the town.<\/p>\n

The Strand has been a central part of Bootle\u2019s identity and economy since it opened in 1968. It now stands as one of the focal points of Sefton Council\u2019s regeneration programme, which aims to reshape the town centre into a more accessible, vibrant and appealing destination.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe crowd watch The Real Thing play at Salt and Tar in Bootle this evening(Image: Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n

Bootle Strand was purchased by Sefton Council seven years ago for \u00a332.5m and the local authority laid out plans for a landmark regeneration project to \u201csecure its future\u201d. Plans were accelerated in March 2023 with the award of \u00a320m as part of the government\u2019s Levelling Up fund, bolstering the local authority\u2019s wider vision for the area.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, Salt & Tar hosted another huge event<\/a> and work has started on the demolition of one part of The Strand, coinciding with the launch of Everton\u2019s new stadium. The latter development has been a cause of much optimism.<\/p>\n

The Strand Business Plan report said: \u201cThe proposed investment in the Strand Transformation Phase 1 and the associated enabling works will help improve consumer and investor confidence and demonstrate to the market that Bootle is changing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis coupled with continued development of Salt and Tar brand and match day events is anticipated to drive up footfall and improve investor confidence. Discussions are ongoing with both Everton Football Club and Liverpool Football Club with regard to the opportunities for Bootle to support \u2013 and benefit from \u2013 matchday and other event activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DemolitionDemolition underway at Bootle Strand(Image: EFP Drone Footage)<\/p>\n

The council said it anticipates the development of Bootle\u2019s cultural and leisure economy will result in an improvement in the financial performance of The Strand over future years.<\/p>\n

Responding to the report, Leader of Sefton Council, Cllr Marion Atkinson said: \u201cCan I just ask about the sort of linkages to the Hill Dickinson stadium [\u2026] and what benefits will come from that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Watson explained: \u201cThe original planning permission for the shuttle buses moving between the stadium and The Strand were always built in, and we found that after each game so far, usage of those have grown significantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe uptake from the second game was 50% more than the first game, and we see that in car parking within The Strand. The aim, of course, is to ensure this is not just a transport hub and an attractive route in and out of the stadium, but it\u2019s ensuring it drives footfall that encourages dwell time.<\/p>\n

\u201cInterestingly, we see that with away fans as well as home fans. So it\u2019s early, but it feels like a really good start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are clearly seeing demand, we\u2019re clearly seeing the connection, that connection is working, but there\u2019s much more to do. As we think about the long term and Salt and Tar, \u2013 particularly year round, beyond just events \u2013 Everton is going to be a key relationship for us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Council approved a Supplementary Capital Estimate of \u00a317.935m as part of it’s regeneration plans for Bootle Strand 19:23,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398049,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[2648,748,393,1467,4884,179,763,12147,12460,109546,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-398048","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-bootle","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-everton-fc","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-liverpool-fc","15":"tag-regeneration","16":"tag-sefton-council","17":"tag-sefton-council-leader","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115147718378902250","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}