Birkenhead waterfront upgrade project moves forward
Plans for a significant revamp of Birkenhead’s waterfront are set to take a key step forward.
It follows the recent approval by councillors for improvements to the roads and public spaces around Woodside and better travel connections from there into Birkenhead town centre via Argyle Street.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paula Basnett, said:
I have been clear from the moment I became Council Leader in May that we will take stock of the regeneration underway and make sure it works for Wirral and its communities. We have an Independent Review of this underway now but while this takes place, a number of projects need to continue.
We’ve been successful in securing a substantial amount of external money to fund these works. To make sure the money, and the opportunities aren’t lost, we need to push on so our borough doesn’t lose out in the long run. But even as these go ahead we are getting a much tighter grip on what we need to deliver and we're using what we’ve learned so far to ensure this is done well.
Under the planned upgrades to be led by Wirral Council’s Highways Department, the roads and public spaces around the waterfront at Woodside and the surrounding areas would be significantly improved while the area from and including the Argyle Street-Conway Street roundabout and down to Woodside Ferry Terminal would also see improved connections to and from the town centre.
As work on the upgrades nears, the team have used the feedback from extensive consultation including comments from local stakeholders to refine the proposals and commission additional design elements.
The council has also proactively taken the opportunity to bring forward some surveys that could have been carried out during the construction phase and commission additional surveys and site investigations to minimise risk during the construction stage. The cost for this will be paid for out of the capital grant funding for the project and is within the agreed overall fixed budget for the works.
The Waterfront upgrades are being funded by Central Government grant funding which brings together two different funding streams: Simplification Pathfinder Pilot (awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) administered Levelling-Up Fund (LUF) transport grant for Argyle Street.
Cllr Basnett added:
These changes only mean, for the most part, that work which would have happened at a later point in the project, including some parts of the surveying and other preparatory steps, will now happen earlier.
While this means extending the initial stage slightly, by carrying out some of the planned work at an earlier point we expect it will allow quicker progression later in the scheme. This is good planning, taking learning from other projects, and means the council can agree costings with the contractor to ensure not only that this scheme is on budget but ideally make savings for the taxpayer across the entirety of the project and give us better control over the timeline and minimise disruption.
The changes affect Argyle Street (including Argyle Street/Conway Street roundabout); Hamilton Square; Hamilton Street; Woodside Gyratory / Woodside Bus Turnaround; and Woodside/Waterfront Promenade.
The project will include a new arrivals plaza on the waterfront to create an attractive open space to establish the Battle of the Atlantic Museum (currently under construction) and the listed Woodside ferry terminal building as welcoming focal points for people as they arrive in the area.
The decision notice for the amended funding can be found here.
