The By Ours Bebington community project is organising a series of pop-up events this month to display the results of the By Ours Neighbourhood Street Survey. There will be free giveaways of spring bulbs, refreshments and bike repairs.
The street survey is the first stage of the community project, led by the charity Sustrans, with Wirral Council.
By Ours works with residents, businesses and schools to design safer, healthier streets for everyone. In total 825 people responded to the survey via a leaflet, online or at face to face-to-face events. The top issues highlighted were litter and street cleanliness, traffic safety for walking and cycling, and that Bebington is not a pleasant place to cycle in.
Of all those surveyed 74% said they want more plants and greenery, 73% said they would like to see more benches and places to sit and rest, while 71% agree that less pavement parking, and slower traffic, safer crossings would all improve the streets.
Lou Henderson, By Ours Bebington project officer said, “We’ve been delighted with the response so far to By Ours. The survey clearly shows that people love living in Bebington but they also really want to see some changes in the way it looks and feels on the streets.
“Please do come along to one of our free events, find out what people have said so far and how you can get involved in the exciting design phase of the project. It’s really important that everyone has their say.”
Councillor Liz Grey, chair of Wirral Council’s Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee, said, “This is a really community-focused project that puts local views at its heart. It’s been brilliant to see so many people already getting involved and talking about how they would like to see their area made cleaner and safer. And there is still plenty of time for everyone to give their opinions about how Bebington’s streets can be improved for everyone, so please do get involved either at one of the face to face events or online.”
In By Ours the whole community comes together to design a vibrant neighbourhood with cleaner air, where more people walk to shops and services, stop and chat to each other, and children can play out.
The survey is the start of a three-stage design process for people to create streets that work for the whole community. Everyone in the area is invited to contribute and there are still lots of opportunities to give your views at face-to-face events and online 
After the team has gathered views from people on what they like about their local streets and what they’d like to improve, the next stage is to work with designers to make those changes on the streets. Residents, businesses and schools attend design workshops with their urban designers to look at some solutions to help reimagine Bebington’s streets. In Spring there will be further community events to display the final designs and to gather feedback.
For more information look up by-ours-bebington.org.uk
Image: Bebington residents and businesses are invited to pop up events, like this one at Beau’s Kitchen, to find out the results of the local street survey and discuss plans for improving the streets. PHOTO: Denis Oates
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