Knowsley Council Members have received an update on Kirkby Town Centre, following a question asked at the Council meeting on 9 October 2024 around whether the reopening of a regenerated Travel Hub had attracted further investment into the town.
Councillor Tony Brennan, Regeneration and Economic Development Cabinet Member, said: “The refurbished multi-storey car park in Kirkby has been instrumental in attracting investment into the newly refurbished Central House (the former Barclaycard Building). To date, Serco has brought over 200 staff into two floors of the building and Cera Care has taken another floor (3,000 feet2 of office space). We are also finalising arrangements for a further tenant to be located in Central House and further details will be shared over the coming weeks. There are also a number of other enquiries which Council officers are pursuing relating to accommodation at Central House.”
“I’m aware that some local businesses have introduced a loyalty scheme for workers at Central House, providing discounts in Kirkby Town Centre stores which benefit the workers as well as generating repeat custom for local businesses – a great example of Knowsley Better Together in action.”
The extensive programme of internal and external refurbishment of the multi-storey car park in Kirkby was made possible due to the Council securing £2.2m of funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The transformation included a complete overhaul of all eight levels, providing long-stay, short-stay, and accessible bays, electric charging points, cycle storage, CCTV, and sensor-controlled lighting. The site provides free long-stay provision in Kirkby, as Knowsley Council’s town centre car parks are all available free of charge.
The Council has also secured new lettings in Kirkby Town Centre, including MyDentist, the Perfect Getaways Travel Agency, and the Willowbrook Home and Fashion store.
Additional jobs in the local area mean that more people will be using the town centre, and thereby supporting other local businesses and retail.
Councillor Brennan added: “The refurbished Travel Hub will not only support existing businesses and their employees but also act as a catalyst to attract even more new businesses and employers into Kirkby Town Centre.
This includes the adjacent 3.5-acre Kirkby Gateway development site which has the capacity to deliver new residential, hotel, and commercial office space development. We have developed a clear vision for investment on this site – a previously developed brownfield site which was the former home to some Council office accommodation, and which we hope to market shortly. The refurbished multi-storey car park and the provision of adjacent long-stay car parking mean that this site is now primed and ready for development.
The delivery of a much-improved long-stay parking offer in Kirkby means that we can now relocate the current temporary long-stay car parking on what was the site of the former Bingo car park into the new travel hub. This site already has planning permission for further retail development, and the Council is already in advanced discussions with occupiers to deliver the next phase of retail for Kirkby Town Centre. This has only been made possible by having the multi-storey car park provision.”