Could town fortunes be turning a corner? Levelling Up funding in pipeline as retailers begin to set up shop
IT DOESN’T have a railway station, and its swimming pool, named after the founding father of the NHS, is 45 years old. A recent report identified a series of pockets of poverty within its population.
But signs of a real renaissance are finally emerging in the “forgotten town” of Skelmersdale.
And a successful bid for £17m of government Levelling Up cash could deliver a turnaround in its fortunes.
Set off the M58, new homes are springing up, and a new retail centre under construction since January is beginning to take shape.
The first of the brand-new stores, Lidl, opened its doors last week, while a B&M Bargains store and a third retailer is due to open nearby.
A new high street and children’s play area are also emerging, and there are plans to revamp the second floor of the town’s Concourse Shopping centre with a new leisure complex in the pipeline and proposals for new leisure hubs to replace the swimming baths in Skelmersdale and Ormskirk are also being considered.
With a relatively young population, it is hoped a new dawn is emerging in Skelmersdale. With this in mind, we went to talk to people and find out what they think of the changing face of the place once dubbed ‘the forgotten town.’
Alison Reece, 57, says the new supermarket is lovely – but points out that Skelmersdale is lacking a train station, a night time economy, shops and facilities and a much needed carers’ centre.
She said: “I went in Lidl – it’s lovely, the staff are lovely, the place is bright and airy but at the end of the day, they’ve given us two cheaper end shops.
“It’s beautiful inside, it’s more upmarket than Aldi, and they will give Asda a run for their money and I will certainly use it and it’s lovely to have something new, but we’re the only town in the country without a railway station.
“Skem is very isolated; I have to get a lift to Ormskirk; it makes going anywhere much, much more difficult. If you want to go to Southport that’s an hour on the bus.”
She also points out that houses are springing up ‘all over the place,’ and questions whether the infrastructure is in place.
“There’s too many houses going up and we’ve got no infrastructure,” she said.
“At night time, come six o’clock that’s it. There’s no night-time economy; we’ve got a lovely little cinema but it’s inside the concourse so when it shuts, you can’t go in.
“It’s actually embarrassing if you have anyone coming to visit, you’ve got nowhere to go. It’s second-hand everything.
“It’s such a shame, as people want to do a lot here and there’s nothing for them.
“It’s a start – but we need what everybody else has got.
“Houses are going up everywhere, they’re building houses all over Skem... There’s too many houses and not enough infrastructure.
“I used to live in Aintree and I used to come here and spend all day. We could go to the baths and there were lots of things to do, the shops were full and there were lovely things to do and it was a lovely day out.
Taryn, a young mum who is visiting for the day, said: “They needed a park for a long time; there’s one in Ormskirk but there’s nothing around here. Normally, Skem gets not so good parks but this looks good; it looks impressive. It’s nice to see that they’re putting things in and it’s what’s been needed it for a very long time.”
The 29-year-old added: “I grew up on Yewdale in Skem, now I live in Burscough; most of the parks in Skem were taken away.
“Where I live in Burscough, stuff gets fixed straight away but around here now. It’s nice to see that they are putting things into Skem.”
Niall Williamson, 29, also a resident of Skelmersdale, said: “There’s meant to be all these fancy things, I’m sure there was meant to be a Booths or a Waitrose originally instead of Lidl, but it just seems to be all these fancy buildings with shops that aren’t too fancy.
“They say they are building a new town centre – I remember my mum telling me they’ve been building a new town centre for 50 years.
“My dad says it as well, and it’s never really got anywhere.
“I’m not too bothered, you see people moaning about kids messing around and they say they’re on the park already and they’re not supposed to be.
“Apparently, you’re not allowed anywhere near the park as it’s not finished. There was scaffolding; there’s nothing to do in Skem, it’s a bit of a mess. People say they’ve been doing the new town centre for years. “
Lee Sealey, 49, owner of Sealey’s Fruit and Vegetables, in the Sandy Lane shopping centre, is pragmatic about the changes – but thankful that they are happening ‘at the other end of town.’
Of greater concern is the ‘frightening’ skyrocketing cost of food and fuel, in his opinion.
“Well, it’s happening – they’ve opened the Lidl. Personally I don’t want big superstores coming in – you’re having to go out of town to go to them, it’s the other side of Skem so it suits me.
“The new Lidl’s just opened, but in general Sandy Lane’s a steady flow. But it’s all the new town but – all happening down there there’s nothing happening here.”
But change is afoot, with the arrival of the Tawd Valley Mountain Bike Trail, the new retail park, hopes of attracting further retailers, exciting new events like an artisan market and bold plans to revamp the upper floor of the