Fixing the 'forgotten town' on the Mersey

Walking around Runcorn's old town on a sunny Friday morning, Anne, 69, says it feels like a "town that's been forgotten". Anne lives in nearby Widnes but has been visiting Runcorn for years, and has noticed significant changes in the town over the decades. She told us there were "still things worth coming for here", including a good bakery and a nice sandwich shop, but she feels Runcorn "isn't what it was".

Anne points to a couple of shops with their shutters down. "Look around at all the empty shops. I remember coming here on the old transporter with my mum and there was everything on this street. A butcher, a pet shop, a lovely flower shop - and they're all gone. It's all nails and hair now. With the new town being built, all this was forgotten. But people still live here."

READ MORE: New city centre hotel could almost double in size

READ MORE: Hundreds of new homes set to transform one part of Merseyside

Local community leaders hope a new regeneration scheme could turn things around for the town. A few weeks ago, the ECHO went on a tour of Runcorn with local MP Mike Amesbury to find out about Reconnecting Runcorn, an ambitious scheme aiming to "improve the lives and livelihoods of local people and boost the local economy".

Plans involve eight interlinked projects in the town, including a health and education hub, a creative and digital skills centre, new town centre housing for the over 55s, and the regeneration of the area around the Bridgewater Canal.

Last week, we returned to Runcorn to find out what local people think of the £23.6m scheme, which was originally part of the previous government's 'levelling up' strategy. Speaking to residents, we found a desperate desire for positive change, coupled with widespread doubts about whether the plans would come to anything.

Over the years, a number regeneration schemes have been launched in Runcorn, with varying degrees of success. This has led to cynicism among many residents.

Lorraine Kinsey, 75, has lived in Runcorn all her life and seen lots of changes in the town, but little in the way of improvement. She said: "It's a different place to the town I grew up in. Compared to what we had, there's a lot missing.

The arrival of out-of-town shopping centres and supermarkets meant places like Runcorn's old town with its traditional high street were neglected as people's tastes and shopping habits altered. "It changed in the 1960s," says Lorraine. "On Halton Road, you could get everything. You didn't have to go out of Runcorn before to buy things. Then they closed everything - shops, cafes, all gone."

In the 1960s, Runcorn was designated as a "new town" and the population almost doubled. Many Runcornians like Lorraine found themselves displaced to make way for new infrastructure as old parts of the town were demolished.

The decision to demolish the area where she grew up in order to make way for a flyover still rankles Lorraine. She said: "They built the flyover to Widnes and tore down our cottages and St Luke's Church. Lots of other lovely churches were lost too.

"They changed things, but not for the better. They don't seem to want to ask the people who've lived here all their lives what they think of things."

The team behind the Reconnecting Runcorn regeneration scheme are trying to address concerns from people like Lorraine. Damian Cooke from Halton Borough Council told us "a series of independently-led public consultation sessions will be held throughout October in the old town area to inform the next phase of development".

Sipping his coffee in the local Wetherspoons, Ian, 66, holds a more positive view of the regeneration plans. He is intrigued by one particular aspect of the scheme - 'Unlock Runcorn' - a project to transform an area of wasteland next to the Bridgewater Canal and reconnect the canal to the Manchester Ship Canal. As part of the plans, a café and events centre will be constructed, and boat trips will run from Runcorn up to Norton Priory.

Ian said: "I think the idea is good. Unlock Runcorn is interesting - it could open the town to tourism, and maybe make people want to come here, which is positive." Ian's wife, Debbie, 58, is less convinced. "I don't think it'll help", she said. "When something opens up here it doesn't last. People don't have the money to spend. And if they do have the money, they go to Liverpool on the train to spend it."

For Angela Wiseman, 32, who works at Athina Hair Design in Runcorn town centre, success comes down to investment. Angela lives in Widnes but has worked in Runcorn for 12 years.

She told the ECHO: "There are a few really nice parts of Runcorn, the town hall is lovely. But it needs less charity shops and more independent businesses. And it obviously needs a lot more money going into it. You go to Widnes now, and it feels a lot more done up than Runcorn, you can see the investment there."

Angela hopes, like many people we spoke to, that the impending injection of government cash will make a real difference to Runcorn. Innovative ideas will also play their part. Many people on social media mentioned the importance of making the most of the town's attributes, and giving people a "reason to visit".

One Facebook user commenting on the the canal regeneration project spoke for many when she said: "Water running through a town, whether it’s a river or a canal, but particularly canals, always generate interest. They attract people who want to live on watersides, they generate tourism and boost the town’s economy. It’s an investment well made."

In the past, change in the town has often come with negative consequences. Unlocking the potential and energy of a town that has for too long been neglected is not an easy task, and people are understandably wary. For now, half the battle will be in convincing the people of Runcorn that this time, things will be different.