116 new homes and a playground close to the Mersey are up for approval by councillors in Wirral next week. The plans were first put forward by Persimmon Homes and Dibbins Estates Ltd in 2022.

The homes, 23 of which will be affordable, would be built off Dock Road South in Bromborough near the Port Sunlight River Park on the banks of the Dibbinsdale Brook. A riverside walkway could also be built as well as a new play area with footpath and vehicle access to the new development through the Mersey View housing estate.

When the project was first put forward in 2022 for 124 homes, developers said it would provide 35 construction jobs as well as 62 jobs indirectly and a future £3.3m spend every year from people living in the homes in local shops, 10 full time jobs in the local economy and £2.39m in council tax over 10 years. The site was previously used as a candleworks factory.

A council report said that while the homes would deviate from previous plans for the area, the number that could be built “has significant weight.” The site’s location close to public transport and other services was praised and “will not cause significant flood risks within the site or elsewhere.”

In terms of the 23 affordable homes, nine will be available for first time buyers, eight will be for social renters, and six will be rented at affordable rates. Half of the total number of homes will be three to four bed family homes and roads will be 20mph within the estate.

However concerns have been raised about the scheme by 54 people raising concerns about traffic through the Mersey View estate, overlooking, construction noise, flood risk, the environment, and crime. Cllr Jo Bird also made a number of comments on the application.

Responding to traffic concerns through nearby estates, the council report said it “will have some impact to existing residents in terms of increased traffic” but the current plans were the best solution available.

The new homes are up for approval next week at a Wirral Council planning committee on September 12. This is alongside plans for six new flats off Farr Hall Drive in Heswall, an extension in Hoylake, and a children’s home in Oxton.

Council officers said the Bromborough development would have a “transformative effect on the character of the area” close to “the large, high quality open space of Port Sunlight River Park and the open views across the Mersey estuary beyond.” The report added: “It creates an example of the best of Wirral, where urban proximity is only a short walk away from enjoyable outdoor play and green and blue open space.”

The scheme will also provide the opportunity to improve the habitat of otters which have been documented as starting to use the Dibbinsdale Brook again and offer the protected species a better habitat. By securing management of the saltmarsh, the development “is likely to encourage the otters’ recolonisation of the River Dibbin. Given that the otter is a European Protected Species that is potentially recolonising the River Mersey, this is a crucial intervention at a potentially critical time.”

Money will also go from the scheme towards improving the nearby Mayfields playing fields as well as public open spaces.