Have you got a big idea for Hoylake but need the funds to get started? Well a solution might be available to you!
The government recently announced that funding is being made available through the Coastal Communities Fund. Creative coastal entrepreneurs can bid for a share of £90 million government funding available UK-wide over the next 4 years to support their plans to reel in jobs and revitalise our much-loved seaside areas. Find out more about it all right here and here too.
Grants of between £50,000 and £4 million are available to a range of organisations including:
- coastal community teams
- charities
- councils
- development agencies
- local enterprise partnerships
- private sector companies
- social enterprises
- voluntary and community sector organisations
In an attempt to answer queries and to help you progress your ideas, Wirral Council are looking to arrange a meeting for all interested parties.
Jane Morgan (Constituency Manager, Wirral West) is proposing to have a meeting on Monday 20th June at 6pm (at Melrose Hall) to discuss the potential funding. In advance of that please get in touch with her with (janemorgan@wirral.gov.uk) – to provide your outline ideas and thoughts in advance by the end of next week (i.e. Friday 17th June) so that she can collate in advance. Jane comments: “If there is no appetite for a bid we think the discussion may be valuable anyway to see if there’s anything we can do to support community aspirations moving forward and to access other opportunities such as the Burbo Bank Community Fund.”
The opportunity of turning a disused toilet block into a cafe has now gone (concrete base went in on Wednesday morning by the way), but there must be other opportunities that are at least worth thinking about?
The old Hoylake lifeboat station is still available. My understanding is that a bid of £240,000 was offered but rejected by the vendors. Though your idea doesn’t have to be located right on the promenade I presume?
Maybe Market Street would be your chosen location, or the Carr Lane industrial estate? The library is under-utilised don’t you think – maybe there’s an opportunity to co-use it in some way? Or you might even have an idea for something on Hilbre Island?
There’s no reason why your local charity, social enterprise, private business, startup, etc can’t look at what’s potentially available.
So in the first instance, email janemorgan@wirral.gov.uk by next Friday to indicate your interest.
I hope everyone with an idea will come so Jane can put together a good bid for the benefit of the area.
Don’t just talk about it come and take part in the action
Is this meeting still going ahead?
YES 6pm Monday 20th Melrose Hall.
Dear Jane only received your request today .As an ex resident of Hoylake my thesis was to construct a barrage across the River Dee West of Hilbre Island ,raising the level to that of a Spring Tide revitalizing both the Welsh coast as well as the Wirral ..Allowing the Dee to be navigable to Chester .restoring Parkgate as a fishing port once more ..Kind Regards Bill Yeaman Architect .PS I ve been living in Johannesburg for 40 yrs and intend returning for good shortly
Excellent idea Bill In addition, having recently returned from overseas myself I cannot believe how much West Kirby to Hoylake beach area is now covered in boggy grass, soon we will be unable to walk out to Hilbre. Why has the council allowed the bog to take over? What about future generations of children needing a beach. Hoylake and West Kirby definately deteriorated and looking sad.
What happened at this meeting? Did anybody go?
Lots of good ideas I hope!
Can anyone provide an update?
The Hoylake Beacon Project was presented. This is a project to build a circa 130 seat cinema, with associated bistro and restaurant, retail and office space, and 12 apartments on upper floors on the land behind the Old Town Hall. There may also be gallery plus live theatre and music space. It is hoped between 15 and 30 jobs will be created. The volunteer=led Beacon Steering Group will be pursuing the Coastal Communities Fund for 2017 following a successful pre-submission interview with the CCF funding body. More information on this emerging project can be found at http://www.hoylakebeacon.org.uk.
Could some of the money be used to separate cyclists from walkers on Hoylake prom pavement between the Community Centre and Kings gap. The concrete there is poor and I have witnessed some cyclists taking no notice of pedestrians walking in the Kings gap direction. I have almost been hit and I have seen children swerving to get out of the way of some cyclists. I ride a cycle myself and appreciate the exercise but there seems to be no ruling.
I’m sorry I was not aware of the meeting. Thanks
My son thought it would be a good idea to turn the Hoylake lifeboat station in to a restaurant as there are none on the front. He also said that it would need to remain a lifeboat theme. His grandad was one of the longest serving Coxwaines at Hoylake and added that it would be great to see some kind of donation of profits given back to the RNLI. What are peoples thoughts on that?