AMBITIOUS proposals for a complete overhaul of the Birkenhead seafront opposite Liverpool's Three Graces have been revealed.

It follows lengthy research by planning consultants who were brought in by Wirral Council two years ago to develop a "masterplan" for the Woodside area.

The land near the Birkenhead ferry landing stage is seen by Wirral Council as offering "one of the World's most recognisable and spectacular views - that of the Liverpool waterfront".

'The report by planning consultants Building Design Partnership (BDP) who were commissioned to look at the area's future said "it clearly has massive redevelopment potential which needs to be managed to enhance the overall offer of this key strategic gateway into Wirral".'

The work has been overseen by Merseytravel, Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, Pierhead Housing Association, private land owners, including the owner of the Woodside Hotel and officers from the council.

The masterplan put forward would see a first phase of works to include the creation of a "development spine" running from the Woodside Ferry Terminal up to the corner of Hamilton Square at its junction with Hamilton Square Station.

The plan also calls for the development of a quality hotel as part of the package, and the aim is to draw a wider range of visitors into Birkenhead in the evening, both from the rest of Wirral and Liverpool.

Executive member for regeneration, Cllr Pat Hackett, said the scheme shows the authority's "ambitious programme for the waterfront in particular and Wirral in general".

He said: "The pieces of the jigsaw are now coming together, as Wirral and our partners across the region grasp the opportunities afforded to us by the Capital of Culture.

"This is one of many visionary projects that we are on the verge of implementing this next year, including the New Brighton Neptune development, Pride in our Promenades Initative, Birkenhead Town Centre developments, Cammell Laird's proposals and other schemes including a golf resort for Hoylake to build on our golf coast ambitions in light of the success of the Open Golf Championship.

"This scheme is particularly important as it right across from the Liverpool world heritage site.

"It sets it sights high in terms of quality and landmark buildings of a superior design. It will link up with Hamilton Square and Birkenhead town centre offering a mix of leisure facilities, housing and retail."

Last year, Liverpool-based Neptune Developments revealed they had struck a deal with the owner of the Woodside Hotel, opposite the ferry terminal, to redevelop the site as part of a wider scheme to regenerate the area.

Details were kept under wraps, but Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune, said he thought Wirral's waterfront "has been Liverpool's poor relation". He added: "I believe that Birkenhead's waterfront renaissance will begin at Woodside."

The latest update given to councillors says that private sector developers have already worked up proposals for Woodside that are broadly in line with the vision set by the masterplan, and adds: "This is very good news indeed."

Council officers now plan to consult with those involved with the aim of having the masterplan brought to the council for approval later this year.

source (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17465175%26method=full%26siteid=50061% 26headline=spectacular%2dseafront%2dwill%2dshowcas e%2dthree%2dgraces-name_page.html)...

It is fair to say that this area of Birkenhead is dead, even if it does have the Mersey Ferries ect!

These plans will breathe life into the town and is great to see. however, I would hope that this spurs on more development inside the town around byconway Street where prime sites remain vacant.

There have been some excellent stuff going on in the Park, restorations etc.. any pics?

Wirral Web Cams

HOYLAKE LIFEBOAT STATION

http://www.leasowelighthouse.com/feeds/lifeboat.jpg (http://www.leasowelighthouse.com/feeds/lifeboat.jpg)

WEST KIRBY MARINE LAKE - WEST VIEW

http://www.wirralcam.com/feeds/Lakebig2.jpg (http://www.wirralcam.com/feeds/Lakebig2.jpg)

HILBRE ISLAND LIVE CAMERA

http://www.wirralcam.com/feeds/hilbre.jpg (http://www.wirralcam.com/feeds/hilbre.jpg?1154096786656)

LEASOWE LIGHTHOUSE LIVE CAMERA

http://www.wirralcam.com/feeds/leasowe2.jpg (http://www.wirralcam.com/feeds/leasowe2.jpg)

Exciting plans let's hope they come to something.:)

There have been some excellent stuff going on in the Park, restorations etc.. any pics?

Not as of yet but I will be going to Birkenhead Sixth Form College which is opposite the park. I will be there on Aug 30th (regestration) so I can get some images for y'all!

Plans for a £73m redevelopment of the Wirral's waterfront at New Brighton have been rejected by the government.

Plans to build a supermarket, open air swimming pool, leisure venues and homes were approved by Wirral Borough Council last June.

But the government decided the development at the Kings Parade/Marine Promenade area would destroy sea views.

The company behind the plan, Neptune, says it is in talks with Wirral Council to look at alternative developments.

The decision was rubber-stamped by the department for Communities and Local Government, which is headed by Ruth Kelly MP.

The department's letter to Wirral Council talked about the concern of "the effect of the development on the views of the fort and lighthouse together, but considers that with good design... this impact could be limited".

The letter says that the scale of the proposed development would not be in keeping with the area.

Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune Developments, said the company was disappointed.

He said the scheme had enjoyed widespread backing from local residents, businesses and Wirral Council as well as agencies such as English Heritage.

source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/5235716.stm)....

Morrisons were taking the michael wanting to put their supermarket there,why can't they put it in the place where the new marine lake is going to be,why fill in the marine lake and put the supermarket there and then build a marine lake elsewhere it just doesn't make sense?second best shouldn't just be accepted just for the sake of it and I hope any concerns about the supermarket are put right before this can proceed,if not then forget it.

The downside to all this is that the Floral Pavillion theatre may close. Wheather for good or for a spell is anyones guess. But they badly do need a new theatre especially as it is the big draw of New Brighton.

From (page 9 of) today's Wirral Globe -

Firm says: There’s life in the old docks yet...

Exclusive By Geoff Barnes

THE COMPANY responsible for the transformation of Salford Quays and Liverpool John Lennon Airport has created a multi-million pound vision to breath new life into acres of dockland dereliction in Wirral.

Peel Holdings, owners of Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, have been locked in talks with chief officers from Wirral Council and they used the Open Golf Championship to unveil their plans to a specially-invited audience which included council leader Cllr Steve Foulkes.

The company are staying tight-lipped about the content of their regeneration package until August 22 when a special presentation will be made at Wallasey town hall to all 66 members of the council and senior council officials. Cllr Foulkes said: "This is a major opportunity and challenge for all of us. Most people are well aware of Port Holdings' track record at Salford Quays and Liverpool Airport. They are a big player and they seem to have pretty massive plans for the dockland area which could effectively change the shape and direction of our regeneration strategy for many years to come.

"Peel Holdings have announced to us that they want to talk openly about their vision. It is not cut and dried - it is more of a vision at the moment. They are now going to the next stage of a general presentation and council members will be able to see for themselves what is involved."

Cllr Foulkes said Peel's docklands vision had already begun to take shape with the development, in collaboration with a development company, of former flour mills into luxury apartments at East Float.

He commented: "We need to allow them to set their stall out. It is quite exciting and it is good that at last the spotlight will be on this side of the water and not Liverpool."

Council regeneration chief Cllr Pat Hackett said: "There are massive plans afoot and exciting times ahead. Investment of this nature is long overdue on this side of the Mersey. Peel Holdings have the resources to do it and I believe that the potential of Wirral docklands is absolutely massive.

There are miles and miles of dereliction - the sad consequence of the demise of a once-thriving dockland area taking in both Birkenhead and Wallasey."

Cllr Foulkes conceded that the local authority had been "quite ruthless" in taking advantage of The Open's access to a worldwide audience to showcase the peninsula's business and tourism prospects.

Reddington Finance's massive redevelopment plans for the former Cammell Laird site was on display along with a special exhibition on Wirral International Business Park at Bromborough.

Among the special guests offered corporate hospitality by the local authority were representatives from six big Japanese corporations.

From (page 9 of) today's Wirral Globe -

Firm says: There’s life in the old docks yet...


There wont be as they will try to fill them in at every opportunity.


Exclusive By Geoff Barnes

THE COMPANY responsible for the transformation of Salford Quays and Liverpool John Lennon Airport has created a multi-million pound vision to breath new life into acres of dockland dereliction in Wirral.

Peel Holdings, owners of Mersey Docks and Harbour Company,

Peel? Their canal link at Liverrpool was a stealth move to gain land to sell making vast amounts of money at pour expense. Not much else.

Look at the fine print, and thse people are not to be trusted. MDHC is a cosignatory of the World Heritage Site agreement, and are breaking the agreement with UNESCO at Central Docks.

Fill 'em in plant plazzie palm trees......where once we watched the free gulls fly

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young girl calling
"Michael, they have taken you away,
For you stole Trevelyan's corn,
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay."

Chorus:
Low lie the fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly
Our love was on the wing
We had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

By a lonely prison wall, I heard a young man calling
"Nothing matters, Mary, when you're free
Against the famine and the crown,
I rebelled, they cut me down.
Now you must raise our child with dignity."

By a lonely harbour wall, she watched the last star fall
As the prison ship sailed out against the sky
For she lived to hope and pray for her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.

A CANARY-WHARF style redevelopment of Wirral docks is to be unveiled by the owners of Liverpool Airport.

A multi-million pound masterplan for the future of the Wallasey and Birkenhead dockland is expected to be revealed to Wirral councillors tomorrow.

The project has been described as giving the area "Isle of Dogs or Canary Wharf-style potential" by Wallasey MP Angela Eagle, who has been in discussions with developers Peel Holdings.

Details of the scheme are expected to be revealed in a presentation to Wirral Council by Peel, the company behind Manchester's Trafford Centre as well as Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

The company remains publicly silent about its plans, but has consulted with senior political figures in the area, including Ms Eagle, who praised the "scale and ambition" of Peel's plan for the Wallasey-Birkenhead docks complex.

The MP said Peel differed from many developers in having a long-term plan spanning 30-plus years.

She said: "It's a very refreshing change, and, I think, that is why they are so successful. They have some fantastic achievements behind them.

"If they achieve half of what they have got their eyes on, it will be fantastic for the area and particularly for the local economy.

"There are a lot of things to be done between now and then. We have to see what happens in detail, and each proposal will have to be judged on its merit. But I can't fault them on their vision and their financial commitment to the area in the long term." read more (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17596228%26method=full%26siteid=50061% 26page=2%26headline=airport%2downers%2din%2ddocks% 2drevamp-name_page.html)......

The project has been described as giving the area "Isle of Dogs or Canary Wharf-style potential" by Wallasey MP Angela Eagle, who has been in discussions with developers Peel Holdings.

It all looks promising it'll be interesting to see what they come up with.

Sheesh it only seems like yesterday when they were working docks, and Lairds was still building ships... And Kingsway was being built at the end of our street.

Yeah I'll wait to see the ideas before passing comment on the 30 year plan.. but the Apartments seem a grand development, I just wish I could afford one.

Yeah I'll wait to see the ideas before passing comment on the 30 year plan.. but the Apartments seem a grand development, I just wish I could afford one.

It stinks around there, yuk.

hehehe, thats the Mersey perfume factory :D

As part of a series of features studying the UK's seaside towns, the spotlight falls on New Brighton in Merseyside.

Maps of New Brighton found on boards dotted around the seafront tell a sad story.

There's the former site of the pier, the former site of the Tower and the former site of the open-air swimming baths, once one of the largest in Europe.

Also long gone are the Tower Ballroom, the amusement park and the ferry terminal, where thousands used to disembark at this seaside town on the north-east corner of the Wirral peninsula, after coming across the Mersey from Liverpool.

The attractions may have gone but this is not a derelict town and there's a spring in the step of the hundreds who brave a blustery Wednesday to enjoy the wonderful views and the sea air.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/image_maps/06/1156000000/1156148770/img/seaside_final203x250.gif

The long promenade is busy with walkers, while families huddle into the dilapidated Grade II-listed shelters to eat their fish and chips.

An amusement arcade and mini-golf provide the staple seaside provisions while the old fort offers a reminder of the past.

Lifeguard Paddy Maloney said the beach had been busy this warm summer, although nothing like it was in the 1950s.

"It was a different world then, a complete eye-opener, absolutely vibrant. People used to pour off the ferries in absolute swarms. It was unbelievable.

"It was a holiday resort when I was a kid but things have changed in the country and in society as a whole.

"In the 60s everyone bought Ford Populars and Morris Minors and headed to Wales or the Lake District or to Benidorm. These places started taking a nosedive them."

Parr controversy

Mr Maloney is relieved that a £73m development, including a supermarket to be built on the marina lake, has been rejected by government planners who overruled the council.

He would like to see a plan more sympathetic to the town's natural assets, such as a marina, and developer Neptune is believed to be keen to spend the money on an alternative project.


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41430000/jpg/_41430641_town_203.jpg

In 1986 photographer Martin Parr provoked a storm with his book The Last Resort, which drew accusations that he contrived to depict New Brighton in an unforgiving light.

But 20 years later, although the shelters are neglected and vandalised, there is little evidence of social deprivation, just a few boarded-up shops near the station.

Australian Bob Williams, 51, has returned to the town for the first time since leaving it 32 years ago.

He said: "I'm really impressed with the place, how clean it is, the lack of graffiti and it's safe to be walking round. My parents emigrated because they didn't like the atmosphere.

"But I can see now it has a lot of potential and I don't think people realise what they have here. It's wonderful walking along here with no cars. We don't want to go home."

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41430000/jpg/_41430783_fred_203.jpg
Fred Haygarth danced at the Tower Ballroom


Although many can remember the town's post-war heyday, some can even recall another golden era, between the wars.

Fred Haygarth, 81, from Hoylake, loves taking a walk on the promenade every Wednesday.

"When I was young there was a big tower and dancing in the big ballroom, which was as good as Blackpool, but I don't think commercially it was viable to keep it up," he said.

"People come here now to have a walk. There's no traffic, a wonderful view, the air is fresh. I'm glad it's clean and I like coming here but it's not making any money for the town."

Another resident described the town as the "lungs of the Mersey".

Aviation museum

One of the few attractions to survive the tough times is the fort. It was built in the 1800s to defend the Port of Liverpool, and the town grew up around it.

The houses on the seafront were modelled on Brighton in Sussex, hence the name.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41430000/jpg/_41430645_darroch_203.jpg

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif People flock here every week http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gifDoug Darroch - Owner of Fort Perch Rock

The fort is now a museum exhibiting an impressive array of artefacts from planes which crashed in the war, and it is also a venue for opera, jazz and rock concerts.

Its owner is Doug Darroch, 45, who is adamant the town is thriving just as it is.

"People flock here every week, from Australia, America and Europe. New Brighton is never going to be a Southport or Blackpool but it can fit a role for people who don't want an expensive day out.

"It has fantastic views. People say 'We need an iconic structure' but perhaps we already have one - the river.

"People say 'It's not what it was in the 50s' and 'My mam put me on the ferry with my sandwiches and bottle of water.'

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41430000/jpg/_41430637_fort_203.jpg
The fort was completed in 1829 and pre-dates the town

"It was an escape from the backstreets and terraced houses and that can still apply."

A Wirral council spokeswoman said unforeseen disasters had destroyed the ballroom and the baths, while other attractions suffered due to "natural changes in the marketplace". But £13m had been spent on sprucing up the seafront and shopfronts.

New Brighton is a town that's been knocked in the past but - maybe as a direct consequence - remains a great source of pride for its inhabitants.
Even the young people, who are usually a very critical bunch, are enthusiastic.

Jenny Foulds, 17, who works in a dancewear shop on the main parade, offered a typical comment when she said: "It's nice to have somewhere quiet where you can go for a walk and just chill."

Population: 10,927
Famous visitor: The Beatles once played the Tower Ballroom
Interesting fact: The Tower was taller than Blackpool's

source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4790309.stm)....

Towers of power for Wirral docklands?
By Justin Dunn

MAJESTIC: Canary Wharf tower. Ambitious plans to transform Wirral's docklands would mirror the early 1990s redevelopment of East London's once derelict riverside site
A FOUR BILLION pound masterplan to transform Wirral's decaying docklands into a glittering Canary Wharf-style business park was unveiled to "astonished" councillors last week.

The brains behind Manchester's hugely successful Trafford Centre and the same city's upmarket Salford Quays development want to make the docks - separating Birkenhead and Wallasey - a business centre complete with skyscrapers, hotels, luxury homes and retail facilities.

The ambitious plan - laid out in a "very impressive" video presentation behind closed doors to selected councillors last week - even has scaled-down versions of some of the world's most iconic buildings.

They would include smaller imitations of both the Petrona Towers in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, and of the world's only seven star hotel, Dubai's Burj Al Arab - acknowledged as the finest hotel on the planet.

Developer Peel Holdings, who also own Liverpool Airport, recently added the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company to its portfolio, making Peel the country's second biggest ports owner.

Reports in the national financial press have suggested that the company's main interest in buying up former dock sites throughout the country has been specifically to develop what it sees as the under-utilised property and space contained within the waterfront sites.

Last week's presentation was "incredibly impressive", said Seacombe Labour councillor John Salter.

"I've honestly never seen anything quite like it.

“A tremendous amount of work had gone into the presentation alone. It was like watching some kind of Hollywood movie."

"Obviously it was very exciting and ambitious but I think it's fair to say that we all walked out of the room afterwards feeling very positive about it.

"Peel Holdings have a track record that is second to none. Everyone concerned knows that a planning inquiry would be inevitable but I think this is a scheme that should be explored and encouraged."

The development would take place over a 30-year period, said Cllr Salter. "I probably won't be around to see it, sadly, but that's no reason not to support it.

"There will be a cruise liner terminal opening in Liverpool soon, which will see the return of some grand ships to the River Mersey.

"Look at all the work and redevelopment going on in Liverpool. Visitors will see a wonderful waterfront on one side, and a drab one on ours.

"The fact is, Wirral is starting to look a big stagnant in comparison. But if this is plan goes ahead, which on the face of it I would like to see, then the very opposite will be true."

Redevelopment of the docks began just three months ago when restoration of the former East Float flour mill began. Over £19m is being spent to turn them into luxury Albert Dock-style apartments.

Peel Holdings refused to comment when contacted by the Globe, but a spokeswoman said full details of their proposals would be released to the public on September 5.

[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]There's the former site of the pier, the former site of the Tower and the former site of the open-air swimming baths, once one of the largest in Europe.


I'm sure I have a photie here showing the Pier .. give me 10 minutes to dig it out and scan it ;)

http://static.flickr.com/63/229192828_802b90ae90_m.jpg

New Brighton pier ... :)

http://static.flickr.com/63/229192828_802b90ae90_m.jpg

New Brighton pier ... :)
Let me quess - FKoE and mum! :nod:

Thats me elder brother with me mam there Howie ;)

I was over in the Wirral today and the Wirral needs this development to happen badly,I hope they grasp this opportunity.

JILTED developers have come up with a new plan to redevelop New Brighton.

Neptune is submitting a separate planning application to revamp the Floral Pavilion theatre and clinch £9m of public funding which was feared lost when the original plans were turned down by the government.

The application is seen as a £17m first phase of what would still be a total facelift for the resort.

The Town Square development is to include a £9m refurbishment of the theatre, adding a conference centre, a block of apartments and retail space.

Details of the scheme are still being drawn up, ahead of meetings by external funding bodies including the NWDA and Mersey Waterfront Regional Park.

Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune Developments, said: "We remain fully committed to the comprehensive regeneration of New Brighton as the submission of this planning application demonstrates.

"The Floral Pavilion theatre is one of the resort's greatest assets. Closure due to poor condition would be a major blow."

Liverpool-based Neptune had been chosen by Wirral council as its "preferred developer" for the scheme which included a new marine lakeand model boating lake, flats, out-door lido, newrestaurant/wine bar quarter, the renovation of the theatre, leisure and recreation areas and anew super-store.

The most contentious element of the plan was to fill in the marine lake to build a supermarket and apartment block.

According to planning experts, Neptune could re-submit an application.

Leslie Parker-Davies, chairman of the New Brighton Heritage Action Group set up to oppose the scheme, said: "This comes as a pleasant surprise. Things are moving in the right direction, and it seems Neptune have been listening."

source (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17664539%26method=full%26siteid=50061% 26page=2%26headline=resort%2dfacelift%2dis%2dback% 2don%2dtable-name_page.html).....

http://static.flickr.com/63/229192828_802b90ae90_m.jpg

New Brighton pier ... :)

I've got some of New Brighton - I'll root them out. :)

Fantabbydosie Lindy :D

Nice one ;)

my cousin. New Brighton 1960's
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/rubinda/misc/tn_00NewBrighton1960s.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/rubinda/misc/tn_01.jpg
that's me in the background. :)

:D thats a good photie of the pier Lindy, nice one ..

You should post these in Kevs 'the way we were' thread too Lindy

I've got some good old photies, but they are fixed down in the album and I can't rip them out of place ! :rolleyes:

:( Oh aye they'd be murder to scan too...


If you have a digi camera, you could photograph the individual pages, and upload the images to your pc though ?

Peel Holdings wants to transform the Wirral side of the Mersey into a futuristic landscape of glittering skyscrapers.

Mr Ryder promised flats in the residential towers - set to stand up to 40-storeys high - would not be restricted to the luxury market.

"It's a tremendous plan and programme - a long term development. We are talking vast buildings - on the scale of Dubai and things like that."

Elements announced include an indoor ski slope, an extreme sports centre, a 4,000-seat convention centre and luxury hotels

"There would be iconic buildings on the waterfront that mean Liverpool would look at a totally different river-scape."

And much much more here.:eek:

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=17676687%26method=full%26siteid=50061% 26headline=dubai%2ddreams%2dfor%2dmersey-name_page.html

A mini Dubia eh? Sheesh :shock:

Peel Holdings wants to transform the Wirral side of the Mersey into a futuristic landscape of glittering skyscrapers.


They will wants docks filling to generate land to make money. Look at the canal link (Peel are pulling the strings), which on the 11th hour they sent in a proposal to fill in a dock and make 4 million on the land generated.

Don't trust them.

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/2751/lairdside19nl2ee.jpg

This is of the Cammell Laird site and is a completely different proposal to what Peel Holdings are proposing.Peel are trying to buy this site off Reddington Finance who are proposing this development at a cost of £2 Billion,Peels proposal is said to be worth £4 Billion and that may be just for starters they reckon.There is 6 towers in this vision.

So this could drag on for a very long time then.....

So this could drag on for a very long time then.....

Yes this a 30 year vision from start to finish.:nod:

I've heard stories of a mini- Empire state building, a mini Canary Wharf tower etc .... excellent a model village, in Seacombe on Wallasey docks :D .... FILL 'EM IN ;)

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/2751/lairdside19nl2ee.jpg

This is of the Cammell Laird site and is a completely different proposal to what Peel Holdings are proposing.Peel are trying to buy this site off Reddington Finance who are proposing this development at a cost of £2 Billion,Peels proposal is said to be worth £4 Billion and that may be just for starters they reckon. There is 6 towers in this vision.

A nice project and I like it. They are even building a new canal too. What do Peel want to do? Fill in the basins no doubt.

All of this doesn't make sense. Here they are building an island - OK I like the green part, great - when they have filled in docks at Birkenhead when most of the waterways and docks between the two towns are rife for immedate development. Why get rid of waterways and then make others? Wirral should tell Peel no filling in of docks or waterways will be considered whatsoever.

Wirral should tell Peel no filling in of docks or waterways will be considered whatsoever.

Here are mate You Do It! (http://www.wirral.gov.uk/members/search.asp?ward=Seacombe) :)


:rolleyes:

This development is about a year old and it's by Reddington Finance not Peel Holdings that's a whole new development,Peel are trying to buy this site off them though so they can do it up themselves,the Reddington proposal is said to be worth £2 billion and the council wasn't keen on the island that they wanted to build.The Wirral Waters project will be on the local news tonight and I think it's going to build around the docks and not fill them in.I've already seen the BBC mention it so it's definitely on there and I'm sure a £4 Billion project should make it onto Granada :rolleyes: make sure you're all watching.

This development is about a year old and it's by Reddington Finance not Peel Holdings that's a whole new development,Peel are trying to buy this site off them though so they can do it up themselves,the Reddington proposal is said to be worth £2 billion,the Wirral Waters project will be on the local news tonight I've already seen the BBC mention it so it's definitely on there and I'm sure a £4 Billion project should make it to the Granada channel as well.:rolleyes:


Peel have plans for the Lairds site on the river. Peel want to buy up the Lairds site, so they can put their own project in place. What is their intentions?

We don't really know, but we know Reddingtons. I don't tust Peel as their record is poor. From the Wirrals point of view. it is better the Birkenhead docks are developed, which Peel own, as the water is there, rather than built an artificial island in the river - although on the surface I do like the Reddington Lairds site plan. What may happen is that a top development may be at Lairds and the rest of the docks left to rot, or left to dock filling cheap fly-by-night developers buildingh tickt-tacky red and yellow bricked buildings.

Wirral must learn from Liverpool, where there have been big mistakes, and stop filling in docks and have some firm plan on what to do with them. People like living around water. Peel want to generate land by dock in-fill, that is clear. I prefer the Reddington plan, as I don't trust Peel. They will come in with last minute admendments in-fill as they have done with West Waterloo Dock.

Look below:

"Liverpool docks may be put up for sale again Aug 14 2006

By Liam Murphy Daily Post Staff

THE business group which bought the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company less than 12 months ago could soon be up for sale itself.

Peel Holdings is looking for possible purchasers to take up to a 49% stake in the Peel Ports company, it was reported yesterday.

Owned by Manchester millionaire John Whittaker, Peel bought MDHC after being given the go-ahead by the Office of Fair Trading last August.

In September, 2005, Peel, owners of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the Manchester Ship Canal and the Trafford Centre, assumed ownership of the company, and with it a vast estate of docklands and real estate spanning some 2,000 acres in a £770m deal.

The move catapulted the company into becoming a major player in the UK, and Peel Ports now handles 40m tonnes a year.

Yesterday, it was reported that Peel Ports had appointed Rothschild investment bank to investigate a potential sale of almost half the company.

It is believed they are hoping to take advantage of an upsurge in interest in infrastructure assets. "

The bold means fill in the docks and waterways and make a killing on the land they generate destroying our heritage and history. Peel bought MDHC less than a year ago and now they want to make a killing selling 49% with a tempter top the buyer(s) that they will make a kiling from land generated by dock-infilling. Most importantly, what the people of Liverpool and the Wirral need is:

1. A cast in concrete guarantee that no docks or waterways will be filled in. The City on the Water, the Hamburg, the Amsterdam, the Venice of Northern Europe we were promised, will not materialise at this rate.

2. Exacavting of infilled docks when proposals are submitted to ensure the City on the Water is realised. Docks as: Harrington, Toxteth, Trafalgar, Victoria. Morpeth and Bidston.

Look what Hamburg do, Europe's second largest seaport, and they are 68 miles from the sea. If waterways were to be filled in, in Amsterdam or Hamburg there would be riots. Does Liverpool and the Wirral have to lack vision and not value the legacy of the waterways? We are going to end up with a Manchester or Birmingham, not a water based city and towns.

But we are not Hamburg, we are not Amsterdam, we are not even Salford Quays ....

Did'nt Cardiff fill a few duckponds in to create its new iconic waterfront ? http://www.visitcardiffbay.info/

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/8431/wirralskylinepd0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Very bling i must say, a striking view.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1708/birkenhead1eq4of3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/3614/birkenhead2gd9oc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I think it's absolutely stunning!!:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

But we are not Hamburg, we are not Amsterdam, we are not even Salford Quays ....

Did'nt Cardiff fill a few duckponds in to create its new iconic waterfront ?


We are not Cardiff either.

I think it's absolutely stunning!!:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

So far so good. I like what I see. The appear to be using the waterwasy to good effect. But the devil is in the detail. How many of thsoe blocks are multi-floor cars parks. Any on the quays? Is it to be a sterile, lifeless car based area?

Will they come in with a last minute proposal to fill in part or whole of some dcoks, like at West Waterloo?

We are not Cardiff either.


No but, Cardiff is THE 'POOLS nearest comparable neighbour

, we are not Barrow we are not Bristol ... Either !!



Wany to make Glasgow an issue ?

That looks fantastic. They really do need something for all those visitors to Liverpool to look at.

I hope you all realise that this will be surrounded by grot though!

Birkenhead's slightly less glamerous side is round here as is Wallasey's! The 12 Quay's ferry terminal is infront so you will have freight trucks rolling on and off all the time oh, and Tower Road is pretty much conjested now. Especially the roundabout at the end of the Dock Road in Seacombe.

It would be great to see built but I am concerned about the surrounding areas and what impacts to the local road network a development like this would have. Forget the Mersey Tunnel Portal being opened up off Rendall Street; the intersection would have to be controlled by signals and for a tunnel with quite sizable traffic flows, signals and standing traffic would be a bad idea.

I would be very interested to see how the transport networks are incorporated into these designs because if they don't, the road network will not be able to cope with the influx of people.

I hope you all realise that this will be surrounded by grot though!


Initially maybe. As time goes on the houses will be replaced/new residents inside.

This project makes it clear that Wallasey and Birkenhead should be one place and this waterway the centre - what a centre. Or have both incorporated within Liverpool. The potential on those docks is amazing. Only the West Float will be commercial shipping, so the ships have to sail through the towers - which is good. Eventually when West Float is redundant another similar scheme can be around West Float.

I see they are building a retail oulet on the infiled Bidson Dock. What a waste!!! The docks fillers triumph again.

I hope you all realise that this will be surrounded by grot though!

Yeah quite true, but its working in Salford.

Pete Carr, I've been taking a look at your photos .... they are brilliant! Stunning. Excellent. :celb (23):

Here's the official Wirral Waters website and have a look at the fancy shops they hope to build in Bidston Moss.:celb (6):

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/7201/bidston1su5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://www.wirralwaters.com/main.html

Pete Carr, I've been taking a look at your photos .... they are brilliant! Stunning. Excellent. :celb (23):

Thanks. Glad you liked them :) I do hope they do that Bidston thing. That'd look great too.

It's very early stages yet so who knows what we'll end up with but if it's half as good as all this we're on to a winner.:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

BIRKENHEAD Park is to have £500,000 spent on attracting visitors to the historic site.

New Yorkers used it as a blueprint

for their Central Park, but it had slipped from its former glory.

Now more than £11m is being invested into the Grade Ilisted landscape to bring it

back to its best.

And the Friends of Birkenhead Park have been given £500,000 to attract people back once the work has been completed.The five-year

programme will see activities designed to make Birkenhead Park more popular.

Professor Robert Lee from the Friends said: "Many people use the park,

but do they know its history? This money will safeguard the huge investment in the parkby giving people asense of community ownership."

Schoolchildren

will be taught about the park with the help of education packs and Professor Lee will write a book about its history.There will also be plays and activities

with Birkenhead-based Active Drama Company.

Children in schools and youth clubs are being invited to put together an oral history by talking to local

people about the park.

Professor Lee said: "They will record the exciting things that have taken place there. Community memories can be different from

the archives."

A £451,000 grant has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with added cash from Liverpool university's academic fund, Wirral

council and Friends of Birkenhead Park.

The park was opened in 1847, designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, and was the first public park in the

world.

English Heritage says it is one of the 10 most important landscapes in the UK.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1708/birkenhead1eq4of3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


ht

tp://img506.imageshack.us/img506/3614/birkenhead2gd9oc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I think it's absolutely stunning!!:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

Are the

Wirral actually getting that?

Hopefully Max,it's a 30 year project but the Wirral council are keen to see

it built so that's one hurdle out of the way.

THE former Cammell Laird shipyard has been bought in a £100m deal by property developer Peel Holdings.

Owner Reddington Finance is understood to have sold the Wirral waterfront site in a deal that will see it change hands early next month.

It clears the way for Peel to include the former shipyard in its existing £4.5bn Wirral Waters plan to develop Birkenhead's docklands into a "mini-Dubai" over the next 30 years.

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/liverpoolecho/news/echonews/tm_headline=cammell-laird-sold-for-%2Dpound%2D100m%26method=full%26objectid=18386582% 26siteid=50061-name_page.html

First phase plans for its ambitious Wirral Waters scheme are expected to go before council officials later this month.

Wraps off the new-look Wirral

AMBITIOUS £4bn plans to create a Manhattan-style skyline for Birkenhead will be revealed to the public this week.

Developer Peel Holdings, owners of Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the Port of Liverpool, unveiled a 30-year masterplan to regenerate Wallasey and Birkenhead docklands to councillors last August.

The company will now present its proposals, which it describes as the largest regeneration project in the UK, to the public at a meeting in Birkenhead tomorrow.

The scheme, to be called Wirral Waters, would see skyscrapers built along the waterfront for business, leisure and residential use.

Cllr Pat Hackett, cabinet member for regeneration, said it was vital the project improved the quality of life for people living close to the docklands.


The meeting is at the Lauries Centre, Birkenhead, at 7.30pm.

The new Woodside goes on display

AMBITIOUS plans to completely revamp Birkenhead’s waterfront will go on public display next week.

Woodside in Birkenhead provides some of the best views across to one of the world’s most recognisable sights – the Liverpool waterfront.

Now Peel Holdings are backing the council who say it has massive redevelopment potential.

Wirral’s Cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Pat Hackett, said the involvement of a major developer such as Peel gave the masterplan extra credibility.

Cllr Hackett said the plans represented an opportunity for the site – directly opposite Liverpool’s World Heritage waterfront – to undergo a long-awaited renaissance.

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/liverpooldailypost/news/regionalnews/tm_headline=the-new-woodside-goes-on-display%26method=full%26objectid=18686811%26siteid =50061-name_page.html

It's about time Wirral had somerthing worth looking at from the Liverpool side of the Mersey.:unibrow:

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1708/birkenhead1eq4of3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img506.imageshack.us/img506/3614/birkenhead2gd9oc7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I think it's absolutely stunning!!:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

Well I don't know that it's good that Birkenhead will be made to look like Manhattan or Chicago or Miami. :(

Looks very similar to London's Canary Wharf
http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/canarywharf.jpg

http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/canarywharf2.jpg

Yeh! I guess! I suppose I react though to the prospect of a skyscrapered Birkenhead the same way I do to seeing McDonald's and KFC in England. . . :(

Chris

THE first set of tower blocks rising from Wirral’s docklands as part of the ambitious £4bn plans by developer Peel Holdings are likely to be approved by Wirral Council next week. more (http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/liverpooldailypost/news/regionalnews/tm_headline=wirral-docklands-tower-blocks-set-for-approval%26method=full%26objectid=18699424%26sitei d=50061-name_page.html)

I think the reason why it's only 16 stories is because of the location of the tower next to the East Float Mill warehouse,still I hope it looks good because it's in a fantastic location.I hope it blends in and respects the old warehouse,hopefully WW will progressively get bigger.

anyone would think the Wallasey Pool is in Birkenhead going from his thread aye ;)

The whole of the Wirral is Birkenhead to me.:rolleyes:

Seacombe is in Walla land.. I'll 'av yer know.. :D

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1820/wirralwatersdy8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This is the first building in Wirral waters.

WORK has begun on the biggest single regeneration project in Wirral after six years of plans, revisions, a public inquiry and divisions in the seaside town of New Brighton. Read (http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/07/28/smiles-all-round-as-work-finally-starts-on-new-brighton-s-regeneration-64375-19532859/)

Interesting things about Wirral see link below
Wirral Grows As Film Location (JUne 2006)
Increasingnumbers of film makers are using Wirral as a location for filming. Tourism chiefs at Wirral Council say that interest in filming has doubled within the last year, generating an estimated £198,000 of investment from productions for the local economy. Actors and crews from BBC period dramas

More herehttp://www.wirraldirect.co.uk/archive.asp

Kat

http://www.wirral.gov.uk/planning/webtables/20075951-e.gif
Birkenhead, wirral is to see the return of a large asda superstore,
plans submitted and are up for review September 13th
More here http://www.wirral.gov.uk/planning/RegisterEntry.asp?appnum=20075951&wanted=Register
Location of the store will require demolition of several existing shops, which back onto several roads in the area, but generally, to get an idea, it will be locaited next to the current woolworth store, and bon mach, then the store will travel back across the exisiting car park towards exmouth street and near to the fire station, this is going to be a large structure if approved, and will also accomodate a car park.
kat:)

http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/articleimages/1048231a.jpg£1.4million revamp for Birkenhead Bus Station
More here http://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/newsarticle.asp?articleid=1268&catid=1
kat:)

£234m deal for Birkenhead shipyard
Dec 10 2007 by Neil Hodgson, Liverpool Echo

BIRKENHEAD-based North West Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders has clinched a £234m Ministry of Defence deal that will “underpin” the future of the yard and its staff.

The yard will maintain and repair 11 vessels for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), which supports Royal Navy operations throughout the world.

Such contracts are awarded on a five yearly rolling basis with regular performance reviews and involve servicing the vessels until the end of their operational life.

The company, which operates on the site of the former Cammell Laird shipyard and employs about 300 staff, has worked for more than two years on clinching the deal.

Managing director John Syvret said: “This was a very important day in the company’s history. These contracts underpin the company’s future.”

Over the past two years the shipyard has completed £17.57m-worth of work on four RFA vessels and Mr Syvret added: “The company consistently delivers a good quality product on time and to budget, this is what the ship owners and operators want and need and leads to repeat business for the company.”

This coupled with the news that Cammel Laird has a new future ahead of it and that there is hope for Rolls Royce is excellent for the city and region.

The container development at the Port of Liverpool is as big a development in terms of wealth for the local economy as Grosvenor.

Liverpool city centre is rightly becoming a major tourist and retail destination but in my view manufacturing and heavy industry are still integral to this city's future as they were to its past. I believe the daily, and weekly drip drip of closures of heavy industry in Merseyside that you would hear in the past, during the decline years is now over. Whilst there will be losses at the fringes Merseyside's manufacturing and industrial future is bright.:034:

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/8589/pumphousenetws8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Plans are set to begin with the redevelopment of the iconic Central Hydraulic Tower, at the Four Bridges, in Seacombe, into a restaurant and hotel complex.

This has been described in the supporting documents for the planning application as an “Early Win” and would be aiming to spark further regeneration of the area.

This first Wirral Waters planning application made by Peel as part of the scheme was warmly welcomed by the council’s cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Pat Hackett, who said the application was “the first part of an exciting step in the massive redevelopment of the waterside dock area”.

Cllr Hackett said: “They have been talking about a £4.5bn investment over the next 30 years.

“Peel tell us they can see the fantastic potential of this location and this is the first step, with, I expect, many more schemes to come before us.”

The planning application is for “part demolition, refurbishment and extension of the former Hydraulic Tower into a restaurant with ancillary display space and managers accommodation” along with a “four-storey hotel building, parking, public realm improvement and landscaping”.

The company plans to build a 105 square metre glazed extension to the Tower to provide waterside dining and add an outside terrace.

The Tower was built in 1868 by the then Dock Engineer Jesse Hartley, and bears a striking resemblance to Siena’s Gothic town hall Torre del Mangia.