WIRRAL Council has agreed to buy an old railway line running through Birkenhead as it looks to create a brand new park.
The local authority will look to buy the land in two phases unless it gets funding to cover liabilities for bridges along the route.
The local authority intends to create the park along the Dock Branch rail line which stretches from Tower Road near Wirral Waters to Green Lane train station. It was last used in the 1980s but it’s hoped these plans will be a catalyst for the regeneration of Birkenhead by making it more attractive for development.
Original plans were to start with the northern stretch from Tower Road to a new 1,200 capacity events space connected to live music venue Future Yard. The second section would then later extend to Green Lane station.
A bid for £14.9m of funding has been submitted by the council to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority with a decision expected in November. If agreed, this funding means the park will need to be delivered by March 2027.
In a reversal of previous plans, the council has agreed to only buy the southern section at this stage with the northern section being the next phase. A council report said this was due to fears issues with a number of bridges in Birkenhead town centre could leave the council liable.
However, the report before councillors on November 6 made clear the project cannot be delivered without buying the whole railway line. Councillors also agreed to buy up the whole line if funding for the bridges could be found.
The report said the proposed approach would “safeguard the Council from taking on potentially significant financial liabilities associated with the structures in the northern section of the line.” However, it also said that the plan to buy the park in two parts would eventually cost the council more in the long run.
The southern section will run alongside the Hind Street Urban Village development, a major regeneration scheme that was awarded more than £50m by Homes England and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority recently. Hind Street is expected to see the delivery of 1,500 homes and not buying the railway line would likely see this project fail.
Conservative leader Cllr Jeff Green said it was a really exciting project but raised questions about whether maintenance costs for the new park had been factored into future council budgets. Officers said this was taken into account when buying any new asset and was part of the business case for Hind Street.
The council also said they would see council tax growth as a result of new homes being built which would also help cover any increased costs to maintain the new park. The purchase was approved unanimously by councillors.
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