Image: Croxteth Hall (via Twitter @CroxtethHall)
A survey will take views on a range of potential events, a new green car park, and a pet crematorium as the city council scopes reinvestment opportunities.
Visitors to Liverpool’s Croxteth Hall and Country Park have been invited to share their view on new income generation strategies at the historic site.
Respondents will be asked their views on a range of income generation, with events including markets and outdoor cinema showings, festivals and a ride-along miniature railway offer.
They will also be asked their opinion on the creation of a new environmentally friendly car park and potential parking charge.
An early scoping out project has also assessed the feasibility of introducing a pet crematorium within the grounds of the park for family pets.
The survey is offered online, and will be complemented by a team from the Hall capturing the views of visitors in person.
The survey will also ask visitors why and how often they visit the country park and what facilities they use – for example the car park, the public toilets or the café – and what is an appropriate charge for guided tours.
It is hoped that the feedback will surface the most popular potential commercial opportunities, which would be directly reinvested in the venue.
#HaveYourSay | We need you! Today, we have launched a #PublicConsultation so that visitors of both the Hall and Park can help to shape the future of our unique venue and country estate 🏛🌳
Take the 10 minute survey ➡️ https://t.co/qvgcfqRNtx
Survey closes Monday 12 September. pic.twitter.com/EHci8Apq2Z
— Croxteth Hall & Country Park (@CroxtethHall) August 10, 2022
The consultation comes as the city council faces increasing financial pressures while maintenance costs for the location total more than £1 million annually.
Liverpool’s Assistant Mayor and cabinet member for culture and tourism, Councillor Harry Doyle, said: “We know that Croxteth Hall and Country Park is one of the most popular green spaces in the city, but with the level of cuts we are facing we can’t continue to do everything we want to do to ensure it meets the high standards we have come to expect over the years.
“We need to look at a different approach which is exactly what this survey hopes to achieve – we want to know what people would be willing to pay for and how we can breathe new life into this Liverpool gem.
“I’d like to assure everyone that this is not about bringing in a third party to operate or run the park. Quite simply, heritage is expensive – but from other examples we can see across the country we know commercialising certain aspects works and means that the money generated leads to the creation of better facilities and ambitious plans can be realised.”
The survey is set to end next month, with results released in early November. Councillor Doyle encouraged those particularly passionate about the area to complete the anonymous survey.
Head of City Assets, Angie Redhead, added: “There are some great examples around the country where historic homes have developed successful income generating ideas that complement rather than compromise their historic surroundings, and so giving a voice to the people who love this place is so important to help shape our thinking as we develop proposals in the beautiful and much loved Croxteth Hall.”