As Hoylake Vision unveils plans for the town, a question: does Heswall need a similar community minded forum with eyes on the future?

Plans to change the historic Hoylake promenade, upgrade the nearby town centre and put "people before cars" have been revealed.

Hoylake Vision, a Community Planning Forum, has put forward the proposals after a consultation last year.

Among the group's ideas is a so-called "remodelling" of Hoylake's promenade, an attraction which has been at the heart of the town for 120 years.

Plans for the prom include all terrain wheelchair hire, more seating, landscape viewing points, 'soakaway' planting schemes, a small café and sustainable drainage systems.

Changes to transport around the town are another key part of the proposals, with pedestrian crossovers, elective vehicle (EV) charging points, cycle lane markings and designs for improved traffic management and parking among Hoylake Vision's ideas.

The plans are contained in the group's 'Masterplan', produced by consultants AECOM.

Public feedback to the plan will now be taken into consideration, after which a new document will be produced to support the town's Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP).

The NDP was passed at a public referendum in December 2016 in which 86% of local voters agreed that it should form part of Wirral Council's Local Plan, the authority's upcoming blueprint for house building over the next 15 years.

More detail about the proposals in Hoylake Vision's Masterplan will be given in an upcoming Design Code.

The group hopes that with public support and the weight of an NDP in planning terms, the council would be much better placed to secure money from a future round of funding.

Further ideas for the town from residents are also encouraged.

Chair of Hoylake Vision, Mark Howard, said: "We hope this document will generate local interest in the work of the forum, as well as catching the eye of potential investors and the support of the local authority.

"We need to continue to promote Hoylake as a great place to live, visit, work and invest in by building on the successes of the past.

"We need to continue to attract more niche, independent destination businesses to come to Hoylake and we need to continue to innovate by taking advantage of new post-Covid-19 social realities. This document sets the foundations for all of that."

Discussing the transport plans in the document, Mr Howard said they would put "people before cars".

On the timescale for the project, he added: "This could well become a reality within the next few years, but we need the council, our residents and businesses to support the ideas, put forward their suggestions and help us shape this into a form that will support the local authority in a future funding bid."

Nick Beedie, principal urban designer at AECOM, said: "This has been a huge, locally driven project and [it has been] very exciting to work on. The consultation responses have been fed in throughout the process so it represents the ambitions of the community.

"We're working on some more detailed ideas in the Design Code currently and hope to have that published soon.

"I hope Hoylake residents and businesses find it a thought provoking and exciting opportunity to mould further. I don't live in Hoylake but I've come to like the town and area very much."

Does Heswall and district need a body similar to Hoylake Vision and One West Kirby?

You can read our story about One West Kirby here.

Let us know your thoughts.