A potential £2 parking charge has been mooted as a possible way to generate much needed funds to maintain a popular Liverpool green space and historic hall.
Despite being a much-loved country park, the future of Croxteth Hall and the surrounding greenery has been under the spotlight after Liverpool Council admitted it needed to look at new ways to manage its heritage assets. The local authority launched a five-week consultation seeking people’s views on how and why they use the park, which currently costs the cash-strapped authority £1m to maintain.
City council officials said they needed to explore commercial opportunities to bring in “much-needed” money to invest into the park. After a short delay, Liverpool Council has revealed the findings from its public engagement exercise.
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Almost 70% of respondents to the consultation said they were in favour of the introduction of an environmentally friendly car park with a nominal parking fee. For general parking the price of £2 per visit received the most support, and for parking for an event it was £5 per car.
More than 3,700 people responded to the consultation, with 95% from the city. Of those, two thirds said they were regular visitors. The most popular current facilities are the toilets and the on-site café/coffee van.
The findings, released in a written update by Cllr Harry Doyle, assistant mayor and cabinet member for culture and economy, highlighted that new commercial activities were “welcomed across the board,” such as food and artisan markets, crazy golf, outdoor climbing, a miniature railway and a new café/bistro. More benches, new picnic areas, information noticeboards, dog walking guidelines and a review of opening times were things that those surveyed believed could improve the park.
A proposed subscription for the upkeep of the Victorian Walled Garden was rejected in the survey, with more than 2,000 people saying no. Respondents were split over a possible pet crematorium, which the local authority estimates could save the council £80,000 next year, with 37% in favour, 34% against and 29% unsure.
In his update to the culture and visitor economy select committee ahead of its meeting tomorrow, Cllr Doyle said: “I’d like to thank everyone who filled in the survey. It’s one of the best responses we have ever had on a public consultation which just shows how much people in our city love their local park.
“I have my own fond memories of Croxteth Hall in particular, visiting the old Christmas market inside the hall as a child.”
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