The Merseyside town you're not allowed to slag off - unless you live there
"We are passionate and protective about our town and if there's a problem we won’t stand for people slagging it off - only we’re allowed to do that!"
These are the words of Neil Dunne who lives in Kirkby with his young family. Like many residents, Neil is fiercely protective of the town and wants the best for its future.
Kirkby town centre has undergone a mini-transformation in the last ten years and recently published plans for 2025 suggest there are lots of things to be excited about. Local residents and businesses owners hope the changes will mean more people are enticed to visit to the town.
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Before the WWII, Kirkby was defined by it's rural landscapes and undulating farmlands, but during the post-war boom era the town underwent a transformative change - establishing itself as one of Merseyside's most prominent industrial sites. By the start of the 1960s, Kirkby's population had grown from 3000 to more than 50,000 residents, making it England's fastest-growing town.
To a large extent, this was due to the migration of Scousers from areas like Scotland Road whose homes had been become derelict and uninhabitable. Large-scale development began in February 1950 with the construction of the Southdene neighbourhood; the first houses were finished in 1952 and 10,000 were built by 1961.
For many of those who moved into Kirkby, it was a bit of a culture shock. Kirkby was billed as a bright new hope for people who relocated there, but these people were also part of close-knit communities who were being moved to a largely undeveloped site 'outside' of the city.
Even though many of their Liverpool homes were categorised as 'slum housing' many found they had to adjust to the 'new town' - despite the newly built homes and open green spaces.
This was certainly the case for Joe Hayes' family who moved to Kirkby more than seventy years ago. Joe was just four-years-old when his parents made the move from Scotland Road. He said: "I didn't remember much of Scotland Road but my mum and dad used to say it was big change for them.
"When we first come up here it was only one row or two row of houses in Southdene - it was just farmland when we arrived. There was none of this, no town centre or anything.
"We moved and there was green space and it is was nice. We all mixed together and then eventually everyone started coming up including the rest of my mum and dad's family."
When we ask Joe whether he considers himself 'Kirkby more than Scottie Road' he deliberates for a while, "I'd consider myself a lad from Kirkby - well, an old man from Kirkby now! I'm not sure what people would say about Kirkby, but for me it's always been nice and the people are nice. Even these young ones coming through now, they're nice kids and respectful.
"If I was to say one thing to people who have never been to Kirkby, 'see it first before you decide'. There has been some changes and it's got a lot going for it, but it always did."
Kirkby Town Centre is set for even more change in 2025 as the local authority ramps up its regeneration plans. Just last week, councillors approved a capital grant investment of more than £2 million to support the delivery of a new retail development in Kirkby Town Centre.
Council bosses said the regeneration of Kirkby continues to be a top priority for the local authority, with significant progress already been made. Since purchasing the town centre for £43.6m in 2019, Knowsley Council said it has delivered a number of regeneration projects which are contributing to the Kirkby's ongoing transformation alongside the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
These include the new train station at Headbolt Lane and a major new retail extension in Kirkby town centre which has boosted the local economy by £15.3m per year and created more than 490 jobs, according to council reports.
These changes are not always visible but a lot have been noted by local residents like Jed, 37, who has lived and worked in Kirkby all his life and been a maintenance officer at the market for the last four months.
He said: "There's been a massive change in the place over the last ten years. I think with covid, it's put a two year delay on everything but I have heard about some of the investment coming into Kirkby.
"There's used to be a lot of wasteland around here. Back in the day, there was nothing here in Kirkby like community centres and playgrounds so there was nothing to do for young people but that is changing a bit now. The area is on the rise. I have seen it myself and it's a surprise to people who might not have been down here in a while."
This enthusiasm for Kirkby and its future development is shared by Fay Bennett who launched Kirkby Coffee five years ago in the town centre, she said: "There's been so many good things happening.
"For example, we always used to go to Prescot to go to the big Tesco and do our shop over weekends and stuff. Now we can just go to the Morrisons and like so many other people, we used to venture out, but I think a lot more people are venturing in now. Kirkby is definitely on the up."
Fay, now 23, was considering leaving Kirkby when she was 18 to go to university. However, she said she simply wanted to stay but also do something in the town - it resulted in the opening of her Kirkby Coffee outlet in the market.
Asked why she was so determined to stay in Kirkby, Fay said: "I think we're just a very community-based place where everyone will help anyone. I can't go anywhere without someone saying hello and showing support to Kirkby Coffee.
"I know they'll have my back if anything does happen and the same for everyone else. I think that's the best part. I have people that come into the shop and they say, 'I used to live in Kirkby twenty years ago, it's really changed'.
"When I ask what's brought them back they just say 'no one can truly leave Kirkby without wanting to come back'. For me personally, I can't see myself living outside of Kirkby."
One person who did come back is Kerry Edgar who brought her business to Kirkby after setting up a shop in Garston. Kerry now sells high-brand sports clothes in Kirkby Market - a place she feels is affordable and secure.
She said: "I thought I'm just a Kirkby girl and single mum with two kids and I know how it is - the kids all want the big names. I wanted to bring something to Kirkby and keep the prices low and sell good stuff in a way that people can afford.
"Kirkby is a big and a small place in many ways and so everyone knows each other. It is a very friendly place. People should come and they'd great a nice welcome - just come and test it for themselves."
Kerry said she has been impressed with recent changes to the town centre and hopes things like the recently built Headbolt train station will encourage more people to come in. She is also happy with big name businesses like Morrisons opening in the town, but believes such an approach is not the only answer to the town's growth.
A more diverse offer is a point expanded upon by Neil Dunne who lives in Kirkby with his young family. He said: "Kirkby people have wanted a supermarket for years and have now got one. This is better for people in Kirkby as they don’t have to travel to Aintree or Huyton, so is saving them money in that regard.
"But we also want to see more leisure and cultural places. People were excited by the cinema idea and the idea of growing the nigh time economy but we've not seen much of this yet."
Neil has an in-depth knowledge of Kirkby's history and points to it's achievements like the Kirkby Rent Strike and the creation of social pantries like the Centre 63 which supports local people. He added: "Kirkby has always been a proud town with the links to the lost tribe of Scottie Road and beyond being an essential part of its make up.
"The people of Kirkby want to live in a town that knows it cares about them - from health and social care workers to the lollipop men and women - with that comes a respect for the town and each other.
"We are passionate and protective about our town and if there's a problem we won’t stand for people slagging it off - only we’re allowed to do that!"