Bootle Strand has fallen on hard times in recent years and this has been amplified by the pandemic.
Once the Strand was the epicenter of commercial life in Bootle and served as an important community hub. When it opened in 1968 it brought with it a renewed hope for the future that was shared with the people of Bootle.
Now the promise of investment has come again. Last week Sefton council reaffirmed its commitment to revitalising the area and has been working in conjunction with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
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We went to speak to people in Bootle, Genette who remembers when the Strand first opened its doors in 1968 said: "It was so exciting and great for me because I had a young child at the time.
"It meant that local people did not have to go all the way into Liverpool for shopping, it was right on our doorstep. I don't think it was ever about the shopping, you would walk in and see everyone you knew, we spent so much time here there was even a crèche.
"I only come about once a week now. The canal was never nice even when I was young, I can't see how the council will be able to change that but what I want to see is a better variety of shops back in the Strand."
Erica McCall, who has lived in Bootle for the past seven years said: "All the major shops have all disappeared and that is why we need funding so badly, I want more people to come here because it's so important that we put money into the business in Bootle."
The Combined Authority has already invested £500,000 to renovate the Strand and £1.8m strategic funding into the Bootle Canalside project which aims to renovate the area around Bootle Strand. The council is hoping to provide new leisure and entertainment; culture and education; as well as new integrated health and social care facilities.
Colin who was born and raised in Bootle but moved away when he was in his 30s said: "I loved going to the Strand with my mum, I used to go about three times a week. The place was so vibrant and my mum would just spend half her time chatting to people, she knew it was a social event. It saddens me to see how it has declined."
Speaking on the council's proposed plans he said: "I think it just needs to become a hub again for the community like it once was. As much as the shops were there it was just a much of a community centre."
This summer the council intends to submit a new bid to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities this summer for support with its plans for the Strand and Bootle town centre.
Earlier this year the ECHO spoke to traders inside the Strand about their hopes for the future redevelopment.
