Former council site to become retirement apartments
The site of a disused former day centre is set to be redeveloped to create new retirement apartments.
Wirral Council has now agreed to sell the site in Heswall town centre to Churchill Living Ltd, subject to planning consent.
The former Heswall Day Centre is a single storey building constructed in the 1970s used most recently for adult day care to support adults with learning and physical disabilities. It is on an approximately one acre plot in Heswall town centre.
Due to the need for significant repairs the building was closed in September 2024 and services delivered from alternative locations. The Adult Day Care and Public Health Committee declared the Heswall site surplus to the council’s requirements in June 2025.
Wirral Council’s Policy & Resources Committee subsequently authorised a sale of the former day centre site on the open market to achieve the best price reasonably obtainable.
The property was marketed by the consultants Lambert Smith Hampton, resulting in 10 initial bids. The two highest were asked to submit further details and with Churchill Living Ltd being selected as the preferred bidder.
Cllr Paula Basnett, Leader of Wirral Council, said:
This is another example of how we are making better use of the assets the council owns and ensuring taxpayers’ money is being used wisely.
The sale of this site will remove an ongoing maintenance cost to the council, generate funding that can help protect the frontline services residents rely on.
Just as importantly, it will support the delivery of much-needed housing for older people, helping to create a wider range of homes across Wirral so residents can continue to live independently and remain part of their local communities at every stage of life.
A Churchill Living spokesperson said:
We’re delighted to have been selected as the preferred bidder for this site, where we hope to deliver an attractive new development for local over 60s who want to downsize and maintain their independence as they get older, whilst enjoying the safety, support and social life that comes with being part of a later living community.
Our plans to regenerate the site, subject to a achieving a successful planning permission, will help to meet the urgent demand for new homes locally. By giving older people in and around Heswall the option to downsize, it will also help release larger, second-hand properties back onto the market for local families to move into, also creating opportunities for local first time buyers to get onto the ladder.
The decision notice, including a report on the sale decision, is available here: Decision - Heswall Day Centre | Wirral Council
