About Knowsley
Knowsley is one of five metropolitan districts of Merseyside, located between Liverpool and Manchester.
It is connected to the two cities by the M57 and M62 motorways and covers an area of 33 square miles of which almost two-thirds is green belt
The major townships of Huyton, Kirkby and Halewood are complimented by Prescot and Whiston alongside the villages of Knowsley and Cronton. It is home to just over 150,000 people.
It has a large industrial base concentrated mainly on two large Business Parks which boast world-class companies such as Ford/Jaguar, QVC and Liverpool Football Club Academy.
Knowsley's community spirit and sense of fun, combined with some of the North West's top attractions, make it a diverse and lively place to escape to.
From Knowsley Safari Park in the grounds of Lord Derby's Estate and the Flower Show in the grounds of Court Hey Park, to galleries, museums and the National Wildflower Centre, Knowsley offers a wide range of omissible days out.
Although Knowsley is one of the most deprived local authority areas in the country it has built a national reputation for its innovative approach in tackling the issues that presents.
Opportunities and challenges
The Knowsley Partnership has identified a number of key challenges and opportunities that are to be addressed by the borough’s Sustainable Community Strategy and that will guide the prioritisation of activities and targeting of future resources.
Opportunities
Major projects are underway or planned
The potential for a major new development in Kirkby town centre, underpinned by the potential relocation of Everton FC and a new Tesco supermarket, the substantial new house building project in Huyton, and the expansion of Whiston Hospital present significant new regeneration opportunities.
Embracing the Climate Change Agenda
Not only to improve our environmental performance but to present opportunities for employment growth by ensuring that new build projects fully consider the benefits of clean technologies.
A location for new housing
Growth in house building – both social and private – is expected over the next few years. With its advantageous location in relation to Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington, Knowsley should position itself to be able to attract a wide range of new residents to the area. •
Investment in schools
The £150 million Building Schools for the Future programme has the potential to raise the standard of secondary education, generate new opportunities for construction employment and ultimately facilitate community transformation.
Expansion and the development of Knowsley’s existing business parks
Expansion of existing business parks and the development of new sites (particularly for office premises) will need to be part of the approach to commercial land and property
Employment growth in the service sector
Forecasts suggest potential for employment to expand by up to 40% over the next 15 years.
A growing health and social care sector
Forecasts suggest that employment in health and social care could rise by 30% over the period to 2020. Knowsley should look to capitalise on these new employment opportunities and on the expansion of these sectors to promote better public health outcomes more broadly.
Quality green spaces
Knowsley has some good quality green spaces, allied to popular outdoor destinations such as Knowsley Safari Park and the grounds of Knowsley Hall. There is an opportunity to make more of these assets both for current residents and for the population of Merseyside which is in easy reach of Knowsley.
Developing the visitor economy
With the Safari Park and Knowsley Hall as established destinations, there is an opportunity to do more to expand Knowsley’s visitor economy. Action should aim to attract more people to visit Knowsley and to develop the evening/visitor economy, which will also improve the quality of life for people who already live there.
Challenges
Population change
Long term population projections point to falls in the working age population and substantial increases in the number of retired people in Knowsley. This could reduce the size of the resident workforce in Knowsley and put additional pressure on carers and health and social care services.
- This is an established priority for Knowsley and the scale of resources committed to these issues attests to the magnitude of the problem. The programmes of action which Knowsley have now been operating for several years to increase employment and encourage enterprise will need to be sustained over the long term.
Assisting those detached from the labour market
The need to improve educational attainment and skill levels
Securing higher attainment levels is critical to improving economic opportunities for Knowsley’s young people and a sustained programme to raise aspirations and attainment levels of young people must continue to be key actions for partners.
- Affordability has become a problem for the Knowsley residents, reflecting lower than average incomes in the area. We also need to improve the range of accommodation which can support people’s independence.
Affordable housing where people need it and which meets people’s needs
Government plans to substantially increase house building
Such policy over the next two decades will have important implications for Knowsley. Given its location in the Liverpool City Region, and close to Manchester and Warrington, Knowsley could face pressure to accommodate growth above and beyond the 450 dwellings a year which is the figure set by the North West Regional Spatial Strategy for the period to 2016.
- The health data presents a stark picture of a population which has many of the lifestyle characteristics associated with deprivation. Action to persuade residents to make different lifestyle choices will continue to be essential.
Improving the health of the population
Crime and anti-social behaviour
In a recent survey, two thirds of respondents indicated that crime was the most important determinant of whether or not Knowsley was a good place to live. Survey data shows particular concerns about anti-social behaviour. These are important factors both for Knowsley’s ability to improve the quality of life for its existing population and for its efforts in the long term to attract more people to move into the area.
While Knowsley enjoys excellent access to the region’s motorway network and to Liverpool, internal connections between Knowsley’s towns and villages need improvement. Issues which have been highlighted by residents include the frequency, cost and availability of bus services.
Transport and mobility around the borough
An enterprise gap
Despite recent progress performance still lags behind the UK and North West average. An additional 233 VAT registrations per year are required in the borough to raise its business density to the UK average. This is compounded by low levels of self-employment.
For a more in depth look at Knowsley’s Sustainable Communities Strategy please visit the Council website.
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