Knowsley Council has ambitious plans for Huyton Village Centre and in order to ensure sites are ready for development, enabling works have commenced today (Monday 4 September).
This will largely consist of ongoing site surveys and ground investigations being carried out to understand land conditions in preparation for future development.
Equipment such as hydraulic drills and excavation equipment will be seen across the Council’s 7 acre campus including public parking areas.
The works are due to start during week commencing 4 September 2023 and will last for approximately four weeks.
The schedule of works is outlined below (any changes to the programme will be shared on Knowsley News and the Council’s social media channels) and for safety reasons, some car parks will be closed in a phased approach whilst works are taking place:
- Former Venue car park (opposite the NHS Walk-In Centre) – Tuesday 5 September – Thursday 7 September 2023
- Archway Road Green Zone car park (next to Huyton Municipal Annexe) – Friday 8 September – Tuesday 12 September 2023
- Archway Road Brown Zone car park (adjacent to ASDA Petrol Filling Station) – Wednesday 13 September – Friday 15 September 2023
- Archway Road short stay car park – this car park will remain open. Works will be completed in smaller sections (6-8 parking bays at a time) and the car park remains open. Visitors can also park in any of the available long stay / permit car parks outlined above.
Car parks will re-open as quickly as possible in order to mitigate disruption for visitors.
Alternative parking can be found at the Multi-Storey Car Park which has recently benefitted from investment and upgrades including the installation of CCTV, lighting cleaning and painting, as well as easier access through the re-opened Lansdowne Way.
The car park opposite Huyton Library (Red Zone car park) will remain open as usual during this period.
Huyton Village Centre will not be affected by these works and businesses will be open as usual.
The result of these enabling works will inform future plans for development and the creation of development ready plots.
The Council has already transformed 14 units through the Shop Front Improvement Scheme, with plans for more buildings to be transformed, which has helped to establish a night-time economy. Outdated buildings have been demolished and are ready for development (the Council’s former Venue and Yorkon buildings), the CCTV network has been enhanced and the multi-storey car park has benefitted from general maintenance and lighting upgrades as well as the installation of CCTV. In addition, a Development Management Partner – Genr8 Kajima Regeneration Ltd – has been appointed to support the Council to progress the plans for the mixed use commercial district.
The Council’s future plans for Huyton include:-
- The delivery of a new mixed-used commercial district with opportunities for a hotel, office space, co-working centre, and residential accommodation.
- The creation of an attractive new Village Green which will connect improved public spaces, an improved station gateway area and high quality event spaces on Derby Road.
- These investment opportunities will be supported by excellent transport access by road, bus, and rail, and will be a catalyst for further development in the Village Centre.
The proposed development could bring up to 1,700 new jobs and a £50m per year spending boost to the local economy.
Cllr Tony Brennan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “It’s important that we continue to progress our plans as much as we can. The enabling works will put us in a much better position to progress our plans for Huyton. It will confirm the land conditions which will help to inform our future development plans for the village centre. We have done so much over the last few years and I look forward to see our plans progress further over the coming months and years.”