More than just a song - plans to improve Penny Lane and showcase wonderful local community

Made famous by the Beatles, Penny Lane attracts thousands of tourists each year. The street in the suburbs of south Liverpool is more than just a song. Now, residents are getting together to look at ways to link the Fab Four's legacy to local jobs and community action.

Penny Lane Development Trust provide a wide range of health and wellbeing activities for the local community. In addition to this, up to 27,000 Fab Four fans come through their gates each year. The Trust's Manager Julie Gornell told LiverpoolWorld: "If you're not from round here, it must be disappointing when you get off the bus and go 'is that it?' I just think it should be more welcoming."

"We're hoping to develop an outdoor community food garden, so we've been buying lots of herbs, planting trees, shrubs, berries and things like that. The pandemic did have a big impact and set us back a couple of years now, but we're back on track. We've got amazing people on board, and hopefully, this year, we see the fruits of our labour."

It is estimated that the legacy of the Beatles is worth approximately £100m to the Liverpool economy each year, annually attracting more than 600,000 visitors and supporting almost 2,500 jobs in the city.

Councillor for the Penny Lane ward, Richard Kemp said: "We want to make it more visually attractive, not just for tourists but also for local residents. What we'd like to do is have more festivals; I'm not talking Glastonbury; I'm talking 300 people events."

On a good day in summer, up to 100 coaches can come along this road, but apart from getting out to take a quick snap of the road sign, they don't spend any real length of time here. The community want to encourage people to stop for longer in hopes of boosting the local economy and show showcasing Penny Lane's wonderful small businesses.

Watch the full video above.