£20M transformation of Wirral's waterfront moves forward with Woodside revamp plans

The ambitious £20 million-plus redevelopment of Wirral’s waterfront has taken another major step forward as plans have now been submitted for the Woodside Culture Park and arrival plaza.

Set against one of the most famous waterfront views in the world, the project aims to enhance the area surrounding the Mersey Ferry terminal, creating a stunning attraction while connecting Woodside to the wider regeneration of Birkenhead.

The wider revamped site will also form a key gateway into the rest of Birkenhead connecting major regeneration already underway across the town while better bringing together Woodside Ferry Terminal, Hamilton Square and the wider town centre.

Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart, said: “Here in Wirral, as well as being a fantastic place to live and work, we also have the very best views of one of the most instantly recognisable waterfronts anywhere in the world, just across the Mersey from us.

“These plans, along with the replacement of the ferry pontoon at Woodside, could see this area finally becoming an attraction, worth a visit not just for the views but as a space to hold events and ultimately a unique neighbourhood for people to live in.

“Wirral is delivering one of the country’s biggest and most significant regeneration programmes to ensure we can provide thousands of new homes and jobs in Birkenhead and across the borough over the next 20 years. This is not just about residential development but bringing business opportunities and finding the best and most creative ways to make the very most of the benefits of this incredible peninsula.”

If approved the application now submitted would see an events plaza and pocket park suitable for a range of uses including by the community as well as changes to improve roads and parking, plus an area for children.

The site is a key focus for Wirral’s massive regeneration programme spanning much of the east of the borough. In Birkenhead work is rapidly moving ahead on the major revamp of the town centre, while the nearby Hind Street site is seeing work on hundreds of new homes as part of an urban village get underway. Funding for a major upgrade to power supplies is taking place which will support plans for more new homes, while major improvement works in Liscard and New Ferry are also moving forward.

The Birkenhead Waterfront was identified as a key location to support the wider push for regeneration within the recently adopted Woodside Masterplan, Birkenhead Regeneration Framework and the emerging Local Plan. The aim of the initial work is to make the waterfront area far more accessible, better for pedestrians, cyclists and those on public transport as well as creating a visitor destination with worldclass views across to Liverpool and delivering on the Council’s aims to open up brownfield development opportunities.

The application follows the commission of a design team to identify highway and public realm improvements around Woodside waterfront and surrounding areas to look at how these areas could be redesigned to be more attractive, more accessible, and better connected. This included analysis of the previous feedback received from the community when comments were collected in relation to the earlier designs. This infrastructure project alone will see in excess of £20million invested and coincides with the £10million new ferry pontoon scheme being delivered by Merseytravel / Ferries.

There will be further consultation on the project in the coming weeks in relation to the associated Traffic Regulation Orders and general Highways matters. In addition the Woodside Masterplan consultation asked people to give views on the design ideas for Woodside and the Waterfront, as well as Argyle Street and Hamilton Square area.

The planning application site area extends to approximately 0.66 hectares and the proposed development includes:

• Change of use of the current car parking adjacent to the Woodside Ferry Terminal to a high-quality events plaza with flexible spillover space to the north east;

• The partially boarded area of water to the north is to be converted to a safe place for children’s play. A small section closest to the river wall, will be protected by fencing and be retained as open to incorporate and showcase heritage features;

• The outdoor space previously occupied by the Woodside Market during and post COVID will accommodate attractive new urban parkland, greening and a sustainable drainage system to further soften the aesthetic of the area.

The planning application is available on the Wirral Council planning portal.