Wirral Council needs £50m to get development off the ground

The Hind Street Urban Village would see the homes built alongside a new school, new commercial space, as well as the demolition of two Mersey Tunnel flyovers.

The development has been described as "landmark" by Wirral Council and will help contribute a large number of homes to its draft Local Plan, a major policy that if approved will outline developments including 14,400 across the Wirral for two decades.

The local authority said it will be "a model of urban living, well connected to Liverpool City Centre through the proximity of Birkenhead Central and Green Lane Station, and provided with quality open spaces, public realm and active travel routes.

Visual of what the Hind Street development could look like (Image: Ion Developments) "The development is expected to attract people who are existing Wirral residents looking for a modern housing offer and a different lifestyle afforded by the proximity of Hind Street to so many local and city centre facilities, along with new residents from outside the borough."

Major decisions could be made on the scheme next week at a policy and resources committee meeting on October 2. Councillors are being asked to finalise a grant funding agreement with Homes England and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for a total of £50m to get the project going.

A contractor would then be appointed while agreements to manage the development will be signed with Ion Property Developments, the council's partner on the project. An agreement with Cadent Gas will also be signed to help relocate gas works on the site.

In July 2024, Wirral Council submitted a business case to both the Liverpool City Region and Homes England for £50m made up of £22m from the combined authority and nearly £28m from the government. The combined authority has announced their funding for the scheme but it’s understood a decision is still pending on government funding for the project.

To kick start the development, millions of pounds of public money is needed to get things going with council reports published alongside its draft Local Plan suggesting the needed grants could run higher than £140m in a worst case scenario. These costs are due to issues like industrial pollution and the land being on a former beach on the banks of the Mersey.

Visual of what the Hind Street development could look like (Image: Ion Developments)

The first phase of development would see 600 new homes built with a planning application for the scheme due to be considered later this year.

At this point in time, the project is currently considered to be "in doubt" according to a council report published ahead of a recent regeneration committee meeting.

This is due to ongoing talks with United Utilities and the council's highways department to resolve ongoing planning issues, including the removal of flyovers to the Birkenhead Queensway tunnel.

However, any works to remove the flyovers leading to the tunnel are not expected to be part of the first phase of development with a phased approach to begin from 2027.

£2.8m has been spent on the project so far with around £1.4m of the money previously allocated to the project still unspent. The report said the first 525 homes are expected to be delivered by 2033 while a further 114 homes finished by 2034.

Leader of Wirral Council, councillor Paul Stuart, previously said "This is just one part of our regeneration strategy, which is focussed on delivering social, affordable, people-focused regeneration that reduces inequalities and creates jobs."