Bombed Out Church should become exhibition venue, say survey respondents

The majority of those who responded to a public consultation over the future of Liverpool’s iconic St Luke’s ‘Bombed Out’ Church support limited development and events at the site.

A consultation held throughout August and September gathered the views of more than 6,300 people and found that while 65% were against full redevelopment, around three quarters would like to see limited work to provide toilets, food and drink facilities, a performance area and seating.

Further, 80% of respondents said they would like to see exhibitions held at the site, with others calling for live music, film, theatre and educational projects.

Just 4% of people said they did not want the church and its gardens to be used for events.

Liverpool City Council’s Cllr Mark Norris said of the findings: “It’s great to see such a passionate and informed debate about St Luke’s.

“The responses we have received have established a good degree of consensus on the core issues of the acceptable extent of development and renovation work and the types of uses and events that people wish to see.”

He added: “We will use the results as the basis to make decisions in relation to the future of St Luke’s.”

Of the 6,300 people who responded to the survey, 70% were from Liverpool, with the remainder from elsewhere in the UK and as far afield as Australia and Hong Kong.