Work to begin on major resurfacing project at Wirral Country Park

Work will shortly start on a project to resurface and improve approximately 8,500 meters of Wirral Way’s pedestrian, cycle and horse-riding paths.

Around 3,500 meters of the pedestrian/cycle path will be resurfaced, with the inclusion of a camber (slight curvature in the surface) to improve drainage. The route has seen a large increase in visitor numbers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in heavy erosion.

Resurfacing will be along seven of the most eroded sections:

• Grange Road to Church Road bridge, West Kirby (500 metres)
• Cubbins Green to Caldy car-park (160 metres)
• Croft Drive to Simonsbridge, Caldy (500 metres)
• Station Road bridge to Thurstaston campsite (340 metres)
• Campsite to the The Dungeon, Thurstaston (600 metres)
• Piper’s Lane footpath to Banks Road, Lower Heswall (920 metres)
• Riverbank Road to Cottage Lane, Gayton (480 metres)

As well as repairs to the path, some lower tree branches will be removed to improve visitor safety and emergency access along the route.

The project will start in late January and is expected to be finished in spring 2024.

For the work to be carried out safely, some sections of the Wirral Way will have to be closed to the public. Where possible the adjacent horse-riding path will be shared by all user groups.

Nine sections of the park’s horse-riding route, spanning approximately 5,000 meters, have also been identified for improvements. They will be levelled and rolled with hedgerows pruned to widen the path, to meet the British Horse Society’s recommended minimum width of three metres. Any trees removed will be replaced under the council’s Tree, Hedgerow and Woodland Strategy.

These will be the first major improvements to the park’s horse-riding route in nearly 20 years.

Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee at Wirral Council, said: “Wirral Country Park welcomes more than half a million people every year, so this investment will help improve the visitor experience for all of the park’s users, for many years to come. The project meets Wirral Council’s commitment to tackling the ecological and climate crisis and will help biodiversity to thrive, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of our residents”.

As well as environmental and drainage impact assessments, a Biodiversity Statement was organised before the project to ensure that all work carried out will result in a biodiversity net gain.

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