Wirral Council responds to Birkenhead business concerns

Businesses told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the works, which started six months ago, had had a massive impact on their trade.

Earlier this year, construction work started on a number of different projects in the town as Wirral Council finally moved ahead with creating new cycle lanes and walking routes, improving the main high street on Grange Road and making the Charing Cross junction near the McDonalds in the town centre safer.

The improvements are one of the first major regeneration projects started by the council with works expected to run into 2025.

Work on one of Wirral Council's major regeneration schemes taking place in Birkenhead (Image: Ed Barnes) The funding for the scheme comes from a UK government grant to revive high streets as well as funding to support more walking and cycling from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

However several businesses along Grange Road fear they could be left out of pocket. Charles Warmsley, manager of homeless charity Hopeful Haven, said the work had been "just willy nilly", adding: "They told us it's going to be beautiful when they have done it but there is going to be no one here to see it.

"You are going to find a homeless charity homeless shortly. We do appreciate the work has got to be done but it’s not being done with the businesses."

Volunteer Jason Buckley said: "The council needs to start listening. We will close down if it carries on. They have given us to the end of Christmas. We might be gone by then but we do not want to.”

Others said they'd seen one customer in three hours, felt current pathways leading to the shops were dangerous and there had been a lack of communication about what was happening from one week to the next.

Work on one of Wirral Council's major regeneration schemes taking place in Birkenhead (Image: Ed Barnes) Birkenhead councillor Pat Cleary said there had been failings by the council in the beginning but things were improving with signage put up around the town centre reminding people businesses are open.

He also pushed for compensation to be given out to businesses quickly, adding: "The sooner the shops get those payments, that could be the difference between anyone trying to stay open or close."

Following concerns being raised, Wirral Council issued a press release stating works were a third of the way through and progress "will be easier and clearer to see as the project moves along."

Street lighting, benches and paving stones will be replaced with three times as many trees and thousands of new plants “to make those areas more attractive to visitors and shoppers and improve accessibility and safety.”

Work on one of Wirral Council's major regeneration schemes taking place in Birkenhead (Image: Ed Barnes)

Wirral Council said: "Public works of this scale inevitably bring a degree of disruption and inconvenience to residents, businesses and the wider Wirral public looking to spend time in central Birkenhead for shopping and leisure - however, efforts are always made to minimise this as much as possible.

"But the clear message for all is – even while parts of the town centre are currently affected by active construction works and there are some delays to traffic flow, particularly at peak times – Birkenhead town centre remains very much open for business, shopping and leisure.

"The contractor on the two schemes, Graham, is committed to maintaining pedestrian access to all businesses within the areas where works are taking place and the council will continue to liaise with all stakeholders to help them to do that as smoothly as possible.

"In some cases, work will take place outside of trading hours if it involves disrupting access to shop entrances."