Plans submitted to transform area of town centre and build 1,600 new homes

Plans have been submitted for a Levelling Up scheme to turn empty land into 1,600 homes which could bring in £255m to the Wirral.

The 26-hectare Hind Street Urban Garden Village Project is part of a plan to remove the 1960's flyovers. These currently act as a visual and physical barrier to the town centre.

A Wirral Council economy and regeneration meeting agreed to £2.255m of borrowed funding towards developing the Hind Street project. In addition, the plan includes new shops, primary schools and hotels. This is as well as new public spaces alongside up to 1578 homes.

The Hind Street project will include re-purposing the former Birkenhead Gas Works and the Mollington Train Maintenance Depot.

Regeneration specialist Ion Property Developments is behind the proposals for the Hind Street scheme. Plans for 60,200m2 of commercial space would be set aside for offices, shops, cafes and restaurants. In addition, there will be space for healthcare services, and a new multi-storey car park.

Funding

Funding is expected to come from £25m from Homes England, with a further £16m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. This is as well as £214m of private sector investment expected as a result of the plans.

Work could start on site by the end of the year, with the first workspaces targeted to be available by late 2024.

The development is part of the local authority’s Birkenhead 2040 Framework.

Regeneration

Some regeneration projects have already begun construction on the Birkenhead Docks at Peel's Wirral Waters.

Ion said the removal of the flyovers will "encourage integrated communities and will foster economic growth and as well as neighbourhood cohesion".

The Ion Development website states:

“This project will see the development of a substantial brownfield site of approximately 12 hectares, with the intention to bring 1,400 new homes to Birkenhead, supporting Wirral Council’s 2021-2037 Local Plan.

Wirral Council, Ion and other stakeholders will deliver a low-carbon urban village that will deliver a sustainable residential-led neighbourhood, close to both the town centre and the two railway stations.

The phased development, to span over a decade, will create a new vibrant neighbourhood that will directly connect to and support the resurgence of the town centre.”