A FORMER family centre in Moreton is set to be demolished to make way for new supported living apartments.

The flats are part of a major development that will also include a new Lidl.

The project, off Pasture Road in Moreton, is a key development Wirral Council has been looking to get off the ground in order to provide more homes across the borough and bring investment into the town centre. A planning application for the scheme outlined proposals for 45 new homes, 80 affordable extra care apartments for the elderly, an outdoor area, as well as improvements to Moreton Library to make room for outdoor activities and a summer house.

A new Lidl is also planned as part of the scheme, which was originally due to open in 2024, but work on that part of the site is still due to start. Where the family centre currently is will become the new 80 affordable apartments after it is demolished with services moving over to the nearby Moreton Library.

Urban Regen Ltd will be carrying out demolition of the building on behalf of Vistry who were sold the site by the Wirral Growth Company, a council joint venture with developer Muse. They have applied for planning permission from Wirral Council in order for the work to start.

Fencing will go up around the site and checks to see if there is any asbestos in the building. Once any possible asbestos is removed, the inside of the building will be cleared out before the building is taken down. So neighbours are affected as little as possible, Urban Regen will only carry out work between the hours of 8am and 6pm from Monday to Friday and 8am to 13pm on Saturdays.

When the plans were approved, councillors praised the scheme for its comprehensive plan, proactive engagement with the local community, and social benefits to the area. Only two people objected to the scheme after a two stage consultation where 14,000 residents were asked for their views on the plans.

Cllr Steve Foulkes said the plans showed the local authority “can deliver large and complex regeneration schemes” while Cllr Kathy Hodson praised the application as “comprehensive and well thought-out,” and said it would provide a more affordable place for people to shop in the town and called for similar regeneration schemes across the Wirral.

She added: “You want people to be able to live, work, shop and play in the same area and not have to get the bus or drive and I think this ticks all the boxes.”

Hannah Walker, from the Wirral Growth Company, said at the time the plans would “deliver meaningful change on a site that currently makes little contribution to the vibrancy and vitality of Moreton” as well as provide additional free town centre parking. She said the new Lidl would “complement rather than compete with existing retail provision in Moreton” and lead to an increase in footfall in the town centre.

The last full update on the scheme came at a hearing on October 31 scrutinising Wirral’s draft Local Plan, a policy that maps out housing and economic development on Wirral until 2040 that is under government inspection. Officers on October 31 said the new Lidl plans were “well advanced” and expected to be delivered first in 2024 followed by the 80 extra care apartments and 15 homes in 2025 and then another 30 homes in 2026-27.

The Local Plan is a major policy that outlines developments across Wirral for the next two decades. It currently promises to build 14,000 new homes on brownfield sites but the plan is under significant pressure after the new Labour government announced Wirral has to build more than 1,700 homes a year in new proposed housing targets for the borough.

To show it can deliver the thousands of homes in its Local Plan and more, the council had to present evidence about each of its projects and why they’re deliverable. It also needs to show these schemes can be developed quicker on brownfield sites as it waits for a decision on whether the plan will be approved.

Brian O’Connor, who was representing a number of developers challenging the plan previously, said: “This site just shows what it’s like on the ground in the Wirral and the timescales we’re talking about to get planning applications determined.” He pointed out the original application was submitted in 2022 and criticised the length of time it took to progress sites, adding: “The onus is on the council to demonstrate it’s deliverable whereas we’re just getting verbal updates.”

Following the announcement of new housing targets for Wirral, the local authority’s Conservative group have called for an emergency meeting which will take place on August 19. Concerns have been raised by multiple parties that the new targets will see development on the green belt and the Local Plan dropped.