Work to make way for 600 new homes expected next year after £22m boost

Work to kickstart the development of 600 new homes next to a Merseyside rail station could begin next year, according to Wirral Council. The Hind Street Urban Village scheme in Birkenhead promising 1,500 homes has just been given £22m but still needs government backing.

The urban village plans are currently being developed by Wirral Council and Ion Developments to transform a massive area of derelict land that sits between Birkenhead Central station and Green Lane. It promises new homes, businesses, schools, corner shops, a gym, new public squares, and hotels in phases over 10 to 15 years.

However to kick start the development, millions of pounds of public money is needed to get things going with council reports published alongside its draft Local Plan suggesting the needed grants could run higher than £140m in a worst case scenario. These costs are due to issues like industrial pollution and the land being on a former beach on the banks of the Mersey.

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In 2023, council officers said the scheme would have needed around £25m to come from Homes England, a government body, as well as £16m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. They said £214m of private sector investment is also expected once the project gets going.

In 2024, Wirral Council said it expected to get government backing for the project earlier this summer but no announcement has been made by Homes England yet. However on September 20, it was announced the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has given Wirral £22.359m from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement for the project.

The local authority said this “will help unlock the first phases of the development comprising of 10.9 ha of brownfield land intended to deliver 633 homes and 1,330sqm of commercial floorspace.” A planning application for the development is currently expected to be considered in November 2024.

At this point in time, the project is currently considered to be “in doubt” according to a council report published ahead of a recent regeneration committee meeting. This is due to ongoing talks with United Utilities and the council’s highways department to resolve ongoing planning issues, including the removal of flyovers to the Birkenhead Queensway tunnel.

£2.8m has been spent on the project so far with around £1.4m of the money previously allocated to the project still unspent. The report said the first 525 homes are expected to be delivered by 2033 while a further 114 homes finished by 2034.

According to Wirral Council, the new funding will mean any issues with the land through “remediation works” will be sorted on the south part of the site by 2027 with work expected to start in 2025 Work will also need to be carried to relocate works linked to Birkenhead’s gas supply.

Any works to remove the flyovers leading to the Queensway tunnel are not expected to be part of the first phase of development with a phased approach to begin from 2027. From 2027, work could begin to help deliver a further 800 homes but more grant funding is expected to be needed.

Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart, said he welcomed the new funding, adding: “We are expecting positive news from Homes England any time now which together with this LCR CA investment will allow us to begin the vital infrastructure work that will signal the beginning of this vital housing and regeneration project for Wirral and Birkenhead.

“The Hind Street project is one of our major brownfield regeneration sites and it will be a model of urban living, well connected to public transport being so close to Birkenhead Central and Green Lane train stations, the new Dock Branch Park, providing high quality open spaces, improved public realm and the creation of active travel routes.

“This is just one part of our regeneration strategy, which is focussed on delivering social, affordable, people-focused regeneration that reduces inequalities and creates jobs.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the LCR CA to release further funding for this and other vital projects for Wirral to deliver on our brownfield only Local Plan, which will deliver much needed housing in Wirral and play our part in contributing to the Government's housing targets.”