A £20m Wirral Waters development is no longer moving ahead as planned.
The Belong Village was intended to be one of the first major developments in what is planned to be the largest regeneration project in the UK.
The Belong Wirral village promised 34 independent living apartments off Dock Road in Seacombe with the aim of creating a dementia friendly neighbourhood with plans for a bistro, hair salon, exercise studio, entertainment venue and rooftop garden too. It was described as a “landmark project” and “a key component of the diverse neighbourhood (Peel Waters) are creating.”
However, non-profit dementia specialist, Belong, has confirmed it has had to back out of the scheme citing issues in the economy, the ongoing impact of the pandemic, as well as a lack of transport in the area. Wirral Waters said it is “obviously disappointed to not be moving ahead as planned” but it is already in advanced negotiations with another provider.
The scheme had already received planning permission from Wirral Council and initial works on the site began in 2022. However Wirral Waters was approached for comment after a letter sent by Richard Mawdsley, Director for Development at Wirral Waters, raised concerns about the council’s approach to regeneration.
The letter was sent ahead of a meeting where the local authority unanimously decided to shelve the Maritime Knowledge Hub and referred to a number of upcoming projects including “the ex-Belong site” when calling for a closer relationship with councillors.
Martin Rix, Belong’s CEO, said: “Since Belong first engaged with Peel Waters over the development of Belong Wirral Waters, much has changed in the wider economic context and operating environment, including the impact of the pandemic, which caused us to undertake a review our plans to develop a new care village in Birkenhead, which we concluded last year.
“The delay to wider supporting infrastructure remains concerning and, despite the progress made at Wirral Waters, the lack of public transport to the site has major implications for Belong as an employer.
“Each of our care villages employs around 140 people, the majority of whom commute by public transport. It is therefore vital that we have confidence that the infrastructure is in place to enable us to maintain our track record in attracting the high calibre recruits to our team who are so vital to the success of every Belong village in providing high quality care.
“We wish Peel well with the Wirral Waters development, which we will continue to follow closely as an exciting and visionary regeneration project in the region.”
Richard Mawdsley, Director for Development at Wirral Waters said: “We are obviously disappointed to not be moving ahead as planned with Belong and welcomed their expertise in creating dementia-friendly communities.
“The project has already secured planning permission and much of the site preparation has been completed. We are now in advanced negotiations with another partner to deliver the project, and we are committed to completing the Northbank neighbourhood as planned – creating a diverse and inclusive new community.”
At the regeneration committee meeting in July 16, Cllr Jo Bird said one of the common issues around Wirral Waters and Northside in Seacombe was a lack of public transport. In response, council officers said they were looking at using a Belfast Glider type of vehicle as part of mass transit plans including at the Seacombe Ferry Terminal but discussions around funding are ongoing.
An update on the local authority’s mass transit plans for Wirral Waters is expected to be published in the autumn of 2024.
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