1

CLAUGHTON VILLAGE

LOCAL CENTRE

ACTION PLAN

By 2019, Claughton Village will be thriving like never before. An improved shopping area, providing choice and convenience in retail and services, will be at the heart of the unique offer. Local residents and communities will have contributed to this success, and will be proud to play their part in sustaining improvements and in promoting Claughton Village to increasing numbers of visitors.

2

INTRODUCTION What is the purpose of the action plan? This action plan provides a framework for the Council, businesses and the local community to work together towards the shared vision for their centre. It belongs to everyone who has a stake in the future of the area. The plan sets out activities and potential improvements which will build on the existing assets of Claughton Village to shape the regeneration and management of this local centre. The plan shows how the Council, businesses and the local community will come together to deliver these activities and potential improvements. The many active traders and community and voluntary groups in the area will have a vital role to play in championing the vision and gathering local support. Part 1 of the action plan sets out what Claughton Village is like now. Part 2 of the action plan sets out the vision for Claughton Village. Part 3 of the action plan sets out the work programme which will make the vision for Claughton Village as a local centre a reality. Part 4 of the action plan provides contact details and further information about those organisations involved in delivering the plan. How has the plan been developed? The Claughton Village Retail Action Plan builds on the recent Wirral Retail and Leisure Study Update from March 2016 (Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners) which follows on from Wirral Town, District and Local Centre’s Study and Delivery Framework 2011 (“2011 Town Centre Study”), which represented a broader strategy for the regeneration and growth of the Borough’s 23 local, district and town centres outside Birkenhead. Detailed analysis and consultation work was undertaken in producing the latest Retail and Leisure Study, including wider consultation at a strategic level (Core Strategy) and more focused consultation with key stakeholders and traders. The findings and conclusions of this work form the starting point for the Claughton Village Retail Action Plan. In producing the latest version of the plan further consultation work has been undertaken with key stakeholders and traders in the area, providing the opportunity for their input into the plan. The consultation responses and feedback have been captured within the Action Plan and have helped to inform the key issues identified. How does this document link to other plans and strategies? The Action Plan is related to and should be read in parallel with a number of other strategic planning documents, including the Wirral Unitary Development Plan (UDP), the emerging Core Strategy. It will also provide an evidence base to inform more detailed aspects of the Local Plan for Wirral, including the proposed site specific Local Plan and a potential ‘Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document’ (SPD). The Action Plan for Claughton Village will not be adopted as a Development Plan Document and will remain non-statutory, but it

3

will be used to shape the future of the area and inform the key priorities emerging from the development of the Constituency Plan for Birkenhead. Further information regarding these documents can be found via the following link: http://www.wirral.gov.uk/planning-and-building/local-plans-and-planning-policy/local-plans

  The Retail Action Plans are integral to Wirral Council Plan: A 2020 vision and will underpin the small business pledge “to improve local high streets and our town centre economy”. The Claughton Village Local Centre Action Plan sits alongside the Traders Toolkit which provides helpful information to town centre businesses on a range of issues such as planning and licensing. This publication can be viewed at: https://www.wirral.gov.uk/business/investment-strategy/investing-places/town-centres-wirral

Statutory Non -Statutory

Core Strategy/ Neighbourhood

Plan (when adopted) aaaadadopted)b

Town Centre Strategy

Town Centre Toolkit

Town Centre Action Plans

Site specific Local Plan

Town Centres SPD

4

1. WHAT IS CLAUGHTON VILLAGE LIKE NOW? This section sets out what this area is like now in terms of:

• Identity, sense of place and the streetscene • Retail and services offer • Accessibility and transport links • Local events and marketing activities

Theme 1: Identity, sense of place and the streetscene Claughton Village is widely recognised as a small yet bustling suburban centre that appears to be functioning well with below average vacancy rates. The centre lies in close proximity to Birkenhead Sixth Form College and the Claughton Medical Centre, which along with six other schools nearby, provides a strong customer base and healthy footfall for the Village. The environment and streetscene is of a reasonable quality, due in no small part to the “Birkenhead In Bloom” initiative and the regularity of community litter picks facilitated by local volunteers. There is a strong semblance of ‘community spirit’ and ‘civic pride’ in the local area and this is testament to the work of organisations such as Claughton Community Association and Friends of Birkenhead Park to maintain the character of the area. Collectively this creates the impression that there is some vibrancy within the centre. The concentration of vacant units however on the northern side of Upton Road opposite the Sixth Form College, combined with a number of A3 and A5 business uses that are closed and often secured during daytime hours, has resulted in blank/inactive frontages along this stretch, that detracts from the remainder of the Village. Similarly there are a small number of shop frontages of poor quality dotted around the centre, which would clearly benefit from improved maintenance. Theme 2: Retail and services offer The retail and services offer is located on both the northern and southern side of Upton Road. The 2011 Town Centre Study identified the centre as being dominated by service uses (62% of the total number of units), with the comparison offer running at 12% and convenience retailing at 10%. The percentage of units given over to services was significantly above the study average (50%) for the borough at the time. Whilst comparison retailing was well below the study average of 19%, conversely convenience retailing was consistent with the study average of 10%.

In relation to upper floor uses, the most prevalent use was residential (60%) followed by offices related to ground floor businesses (24%) and offices related to the ground floor business (9%). A resurvey in 2016 suggests that there have been some minor changes to these uses in the intervening period – a marginal increase in the use of convenience retailing up to 12%, with the comparison offer having decreased to 10%. Similarly there was a marginal reduction in the number of service related businesses to 58%. Convenience retailing is centred primarily on a Tesco Express on the southern side of Upton Road and a Co-operative Food store located to the north, immediately opposite the Sixth Form College. The range of provision within the Village currently includes a bakery, chemists, florist, funeral directors, bookmakers, along with a wide variety of other health &

5

beauty salons. These are complemented by a number of hot food takeaways, a public house (Claughton Hotel), a social club (Houlihans) and a newly opened bar and restaurant/grill (Fusion), all of whom make a valuable contribution to the evening economy. In common with other retail areas in the borough, there are no longer any banks or building societies located in the Village. There is however a busy post office remaining and there are ample cashpoint (ATM) facilities located in the area. The 2011 Town Centre Study highlighted that the percentage of vacant units in the area was 7%, which was well below the borough average of 12% at the time. In the five years since then the resurvey has identified that the level of vacancy rates has remained reasonably static at 7%. Theme 3: Accessibility and transport links Claughton Village is well served by public transport, with a resident population of approximately 6,900 people located within a 10 minute walk of the centre. Upton Road lies on a number of main bus routes with excellent direct links to Birkenhead, Eastham, West Kirby and Liverpool City Centre. There are also frequent services to Ellesmere Port, Chester and Broughton via an interchange. Two stations at Birkenhead Park and Birkenhead North are located within a short walk of the Village, providing connections to other parts of the Merseyrail network from as far as Southport to the north and Chester in the south. Given the linear layout of the retail centre, parking presents a number of significant challenges for visitors with the number of parking spaces at a premium. There are no designated public car parks and any on road parking that exits is limited to both sides of Upton Rd and along Shrewsbury Rd where 1 hour waiting restrictions are in force (Monday – Saturday). This often forces business owners or employees to park in the nearby residential areas, sometimes to the annoyance of local residents. Parking issues can be further exacerbated during the football season with the Claughton Hotel running its own ‘soccerbus’ service on matchdays to Everton FC’s home games. There is a small six space car park adjacent to Tescos, but this is restricted for the sole use of customers with a 20 minute waiting restriction in place. Cycle links to Claughton Village are generally good, but there is currently no separate cycleway along the road itself. There are a number of cycle racks along the stretch of pavement on Claughton Village in front of the shops, which would seem to signify a desire for cyclists to bike to the area. Theme 4: Local events and marketing activities There is a strong sense of community spirit and civic pride within the area, with a number of community groups in existence working for the “greater good” of Claughton Village. This includes Claughton Community Association, St Bede’s Church and the Friends of Birkenhead Park, the latter of which are responsible for hosting a number of all year round activities nearby, including high profile annual events such as Heritage Open Days and the Festival of Transport. The Sixth Form College, Claughton Medical Centre and St Bede’s are key focal points for drawing people into the Village and the church provides a valuable community resource. The competitive hire charges of the halls and rooms within the building make it an ideal venue for a wide range of community, social and recreational events.

6

As the Village lies on a main thoroughfare, which is linear in nature there are very few natural open or green spaces available to support high street events or activities. 2. WHAT IS THE VISION FOR CLAUGHTON VILLAGE? The environment in the Village has been given a new lease of life as a result of the “In Bloom” initiative, which has brought some much needed colour to the streetscape and helped create a sense of vibrancy and a feeling that the area is “on the up”. There are isolated areas where the public realm would benefit from improvement and renewals, in particular the wide pavement area in front of the stretch of shops on the southern side of Upton Road adjacent to the Reformed Church. The cluster of vacant units on the opposite side of Upton Road and the lack of any take up of them are becoming a cause of concern locally, not least as the owner is charging unrealistic rents on them, which are completely disproportionate to rental levels elsewhere in the Village. As the landlord is based locally, every effort should be made to work with him to attract new tenants into them for the benefit of the area as a whole. This could include their re-use as temporary or “pop up” shops. There is a strong clamour to introduce a Christmas tree into the village to complement the annual festive lights display. The retail area benefits from having a strong catchment area, the socio economic profile of which continues to provide strong support for the centre as a whole and its role for convenience food shopping and comparison goods and services. It could though clearly benefit from providing a more diverse or niche offer in future, in order to attract new customers to the area and mitigate leakage to neighbouring shopping areas. The Claughton Village area is well served by public transport and a residential catchment within easy walking distance of the centre. Increased usage of the centre on foot or by cycle could be more actively encouraged to help reduce traffic congestion and help alleviate current parking constraints. This could be achieved through the proactive engagement of business owners with the authority’s Business Travel Support Team to identify alternative sustainable travel solutions for their employees. The recent closure of Hamilton United Reformed Church and any subsequent redevelopment and reuse of the site could in time place an additional strain on parking in the future. In the short term opportunity exists to determine whether there is scope to utilise space in the large grounds of the church for additional parking, which would help mitigate the current practice of the dispersal of parking to nearby residential areas. Claughton Village is identified as a Traditional Suburban Centre in the UDP and the emerging Core Strategy lists the area as a “Local Centre” in the new hierarchy of retail centres proposed in Policy CS25. At the time of writing, it is not envisaged that the centre boundary shown on the UDP Proposals Map will be contracted or expanded in a future site-specific Local Plan. In the 2011 Town Centre study Claughton Village was identified as one of only a handful of retail areas deemed to be functioning well in its role as a local centre. Future change in this area will be monitored through the rolling programme of surveys undertaken in all the borough’s centres. Whilst there are a number of proactive community groups working for the benefit of the Village, there is no formal trader led organisation currently in existence. Whilst there are limited opportunities to promote the offer of shops and services, through an annual

7

programme of events and activities, there is nonetheless a strong desire in some quarters to run other ad-hoc seasonal events or food fayres, subject to finding an appropriate location. As the main focal point for the area and as its largest employer, the Sixth Form College has an integral part to play in the future of the Village. Improving communication between local businesses and the College could therefore be pivotal to any future economic success, as could strengthening this relationship through developmental activities linked to the curriculum. Consequently Claughton Village is not in need of any transformational change, moreover it needs to build on its many positive features and its unique character, so that it can continue to be self-sustaining and prosperous in its own right. There are therefore some opportunities to improve the identity of Claughton Village and to introduce an improved and more balanced offer, by attracting new retailers and users to the area, in order to secure its sustainable future. Local traders/businesses, community groups and local residents will therefore all be expected to play a key role in this. Taking all this into account the vison for the Village is that:

By 2019, Claughton Village will be thriving like never before. An improved shopping area, providing choice and convenience in retail and services, will be at the heart of the unique offer. Local residents and communities will have contributed to this success, and will be proud to play their part in sustaining improvements and in promoting Claughton Village retail area to increasing numbers of visitors.

3. HOW WILL THE VISION BE DELIVERED? The analysis undertaken as part of the Town Centre Study for Claughton Village and the work involved in developing the Action Plan have helped identify key issues, objectives and potential interventions, which if implemented can help the area maximise its potential. These are summarised within the delivery plan overleaf:

8

Theme 1: Identity, Sense of Place and the Streetscene AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE

TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM

Improving the environmental quality and provide an interesting and active streetscape

A cleaner, greener and more attractive Claughton Village Reduced traffic congestion High quality shop fronts, signage and conversions throughout the centre

Enhancements to “In Bloom” campaign through the introduction of additional planters & hanging baskets with a view to being shortlisted as a finalist for RHS “Britain in Bloom” campaign Explore opportunities to introduce a Christmas tree to the streetscene to enhance festive lights display Engage with Business Travel Support Team to identify alternative sustainable travel solutions for employees Promote the Trader’s Toolkit to help preserve the unique character of the Village

Wirral Council/local

businesses /community groups (September 2017)

Wirral Council /local businesses

/community groups (by December 2017)

Wirral Council/Local

businesses (by March 2017)

Wirral Council /local businesses

/community groups (ongoing)

9

Theme 2: Retail and Services Offer AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE

TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM

A more vibrant and sustainable centre

A diverse retail offer that can attract and retain customers all year round and resist loss to other areas

Establish a business/traders association utilising existing knowledge & skills to work together on improving the scope, attractiveness and offer Encourage property owners/landlords to actively encourage new niche businesses into empty units to diversify the Village’s offer Encourage property owners to adopt a more flexible approach regarding rental levels to incentivise the take up of vacant units Working with property owners/landlords to encourage take up of empty units through temporary or “pop up” uses as necessary

Local businesses

(by September 2017)

Local businesses /landlords (ongoing)

Local businesses /landlords (ongoing)

Local businesses /landlords (ongoing)

10

Theme 3: Accessibility and Transport Links

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Improve visitors experience of the shopping area

Increased parking opportunities for shoppers in the Village

Explore opportunity to utilise ample space within grounds of Reformed Church to allow shoppers discretionary use of spaces Promote use of any additional informal parking spaces on Facebook, Twitter etc

Local businesses

/community groups/Church Diocese

(by June 2017)

Local

businesses/community groups

(ongoing)

11

Theme 4: Local Events and Marketing Activities

AIM WHAT WE COULD ACHIEVE TOGETHER….. HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE IT….. BY WHEN & BY WHOM Increase footfall, visitors and spend to Claughton Village

A lively, interesting and useable retail area with improved vitality and providing a better visitor experience for shoppers

Consider the introduction of a range of incentives to promote the offer- ‘shop local’, loyalty cards, etc. Explore opportunities and suitability of indoor/outdoor space to run seasonal events and or markets/food fayres Strengthen the links & communication between Birkenhead Sixth Form College, local businesses & community groups, to promote events & activities that encourage linked trips to the area

Local businesses

(by December 2017)

Local businesses/community

groups (by June 2017)

Sixth Form College/local businesses

/Community Groups (ongoing)

12

4. KEY CONTACTS AND SUPPORT

Wirral Council

Neil Mitchell (Regeneration Team) - 0151 691 8423 / neilmitchell@wirral.gov.uk Jo Burrell (Constituency Manager – Birkenhead) - 0151 666 3897 / joannaburrell@wirral.gov.uk The Wirral Events Advisory Group acts as a one stop shop to provide organisers of public events in Wirral with appropriate advice and guidance to enable events to take place safely. Tel (0151) 606 2290 or e-mail: events@wirral.gov.uk Further information including a copy of the guide, Organising Public Events in Wirral is available from the Council’s website via the link below: www.wirral.gov.uk/communities-and-neighbourhoods/organising-outdoor-events

Useful websites Association of Town Centre Management - www.atcm.org 100 Ways - www.100ways.org.uk/ British Retail Consortium – www.brc.org.uk Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills Department for Communities and Local Government - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government Design Council - www.designcouncil.org.uk/ Living Streets – www.livingstreets.co.uk Sustrans – www.sustrans.org.uk All Council services (including lists of Ward Councillors) – www.wirral.gov.uk  Claughton Ward Councillors: George Davies – georgedavies@wirral.gov.uk Steve Foulkes – stevefoulkes@wirral.gov.uk Denise Roberts – deniseroberts@wirral.gov.uk  Other local websites and contacts of interest: Friends of Birkenhead Park - http://friendsofbirkenheadpark.org.uk St Bede’s Church - https://www.achurchnearyou.com/wwwjamesandbede/ Birkenhead Six Form College - http://www.bsfc.ac.uk Wirral Chamber of Commerce - http://www.wirralchamber.co.uk Claughton Medical Centre - http://www.claughtonmc.co.uk