Wirral Council want you to 'Have Your Say' on revitalising Birkenhead

An exciting and transformational masterplan outlines how the heart of Birkenhead can be revitalised through the creation of a new neighbourhood focused on the area around the town’s historic Dock Branch railway line.

The plans, proposed by Wirral Council, are based on feedback from the public following initial consultations on the broad objectives to give this part of Birkenhead town centre a new lease of life.

Surrounding what is proposed to be the Dock Branch linear park on the site of the former railway tracks the new Dock Branch Neighbourhood will aim to provide a welcoming and attractive place to visit, work and most importantly live and bring up families.

Using what people have told the council through the initial stages of engagement a draft set of proposals for how it could be developed have been produced, outlining ideas such as how existing buildings can be kept and better used, improved landscaping put in place and the creation of more affordable and safe places to live.

Cllr Tony Jones, chair of Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee, said:

“At this stage designers are putting forward ideas of how areas could develop in the future to get the conversation started.

“We want the Dock Branch Neighbourhood masterplan to reflect the whole range of views of the community, so we can better understand what people who live, work or visit the area now want it to be like in the future and also to think about how we make it attractive to people to come and make this part of Birkenhead their home or choose to set up a business here.”

Ben Morrison, senior development manager at LCR, said:

“The proposed Dock Branch Neighbourhood masterplan offers a fantastic opportunity to create a healthy, fun, and inclusive place for people to live, work and visit. But we know it will only be a success through full engagement and collaboration with the local community in Birkenhead. We’re looking forward to hearing their views and incorporating them into our plans through this consultation.”

The ideas and comments from the first parts of the consultation have helped the design process which has focused on:

Re-using existing buildings.
Planting, trees and landscaping.
Affordable housing.
A safe neighbourhood.
Better standards and state-of-the-art facilities.
Spaces for people to meet.
Making a place for businesses to thrive.

This next phase of community engagement on the proposed Dock Branch Neighbourhood masterplan is now underway to continue to develop the plans using the views of people who live, work or visit the area.

Cllr Jones added:

“It is important now that as many people as possible who live in, work in or visit Birkenhead get involved in telling us what they like and what they don’t about these proposals, so please share your views on Dock Branch Neighbourhood proposals by completing the survey below. You can also visit us at BirkenEd’s Place in the Grange Precinct Birkenhead to hear more.”

The consultation outlines how more housing in the town centre can be provided using a variety of methods to deliver homes which are affordable and including local, and small and medium sized developers, co-housing and community land trusts to make this happen, while new business and inward investment can be fostered while also building on the attraction of the existing independent traders and shops.

The consultation will be running until December 1.

You can also visit BirkenEd’s Place in Birkenhead town centre (8-10 Borough Pavement, Grange Precinct) – this is an easily accessible location for anyone wanting to learn about the ambitious plans for the town and, crucially, to help shape decisions about its future, with help from the engagement team in BirkenEd’s Place being led by independent local social enterprise PLACED.