£10m plans that will affect every home in Merseyside town centre

Plans have been put forward that could see millions of pounds spent on a Wirral town to “reimagine” its streets and “create a better place not just for now but for the future. The new £10m plans for Bebington could see some streets closed at certain times of the day, new trees planted, and new cycle lanes and walking routes.

The changes are part of a major project called By Ours Bebington that was carried out by cycling charity Sustrans in partnership with Wirral Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Three thousand letters were sent out to people living in Bebington to ask for their thoughts on the plans. Multiple workshops and surveys were also carried out following a £2.1m investment by the combined authority to create “liveable neighbourhoods” across the city region.

The area covered by the project includes 2,587 properties between Teehey Lane, Town Lane, Old Chester Road, The Village, Bebington Road, and Heath Road and includes Bebington cemetery, Higher Bebington Recreation Ground, ten schools, and the Oval leisure centre. It was found 66% of people supported the plans with 19% opposing with around 2,200 people engaging with the project.

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Plans put forward by Sustrans to the council at an environment and transport committee meeting on September 18 include 3.7km of improvements to walking routes include 1.8km of traffic-free footpaths, 2.1km of cycle tracks, five enhanced green spaces, two modal filters for traffic, three one way streets, and measures in 20 places to slow down traffic. Four streets could be closed at drop off and pick up times outside schools.

The cycling charity estimates the total cost of the project to be £10.3m with £2m going to improving walking routes across Bebington, £800,000 on new traffic street routes, and £1.7m on new cycle lanes. However a business case has been put forward for £7.4m and the report said the plans could benefit the area by around £15m.

This includes walking and cycle routes through the Higher Bebington Recreation Ground with 75% in support. According to Sustrans’ survey, just 20% of people currently feel safe cycling through the town.

Sixty five per cent of respondents supported the introduction of a cycle lane along part of Old Chester Road heading to Bebington station while the same percentage supporting a cycle lane along Teehey Lane and Kings Road. There was less support for planters being placed on Richmond Road, Acres Road, Oak Road, and Old Chester Road to block through-traffic but this still got 10% and 16% net support.

As for schools, the survey found 77% of primary age pupils said they wanted to walk, cycle or scoot to school though as they got older, this dropped to 36%. However there was at least 40% net support for the plans outside the different schools in the area.

Outside the Oval, major changes could be introduced for three schools, Saint John’s Catholic Junior School, St John’s Aided Catholic Infant School, and St John Plessington Catholic Secondary College. These include closing off the road outside the infant school to traffic and turning the road to the Oval into a two way street as the current situation was described as “dangerous.”

Where the road is closed, it could be turned into a play area with planters and seating too. The Oval car park will be redesigned to make it easier and safer for parents to drop off and pick up their children as well as a new two-way cycle lane along Old Chester Road and a 24/7 walking route through the Oval.

Roads could be temporarily closed outside St Andrew’s CofE Primary School though resident and emergency access would still be allowed. New trees, pedestrian crossings, a cycle lane, and a number of other measures will be introduced.

Norbury Avenue and Holmway outside Brackenwood Infant and Junior Schools could also temporarily close to traffic at pick up and drop off times with other measures introduced to slow down cars in the area around the schools. A 20mph safety zone could be introduced outside both Wirral Grammar Schools.

At the meeting on September 18, councillors are being asked to note the work done so far and look to work with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to get the funding needed to support the plans. So far there has been no cost to the council but it will be up to the local authority to find funding going forward.

Wirral Council’s environment committee chair Cllr Liz Grey said the project “aims to help residents, businesses and schools reimagine local streets in Bebington and supports creating vibrant neighbourhoods with cleaner air, where more people walk to shops and services, stop and chat to each other, and children can play out safely.”

She said the changes “will not happen overnight” with “significant work still to be done,” but praised Sustrans for putting “in a great deal of effort, particularly into engaging with local schools in this area, to develop a plan to create a better place, not just for now but for the future.”