It was described as “the most important development for Wirral since John Laird came to form his shipyard” by Birkenhead MP Frank Field.
And last night the £4.5bn Wirral Waters scheme was unanimously approved by the council’s planning committee.
The meeting at Wallasey Town Hall erupted into applause as councillors voted in favour of a scheme which was described by many of them as “transformative” for the borough.
The outline planning application will allow for the dockland area between Birkenhead and Wallasey to be developed by Peel Holdings with a scheme they say will rival waterfront developments across the globe.
All four of Wirral’s MPs had written in support of the application, which is the biggest of its type in the UK.
Covering 50 hectares of dockland – some of which is operational but vastly reduced from its heyday – the ambition of Peel is to repeat the success they have enjoyed in Salford Quays, with a scheme anticipated to grow over the next three decades.
The planning committee was being asked to effectively set the “ground rules” for the development as it is expected to emerge in the coming years. No detailed plans have yet been submitted and Peel director Lindsey Ashworth has said it would be 2012 at the earliest before any work is likely to start.
Following the meeting, Mr Ashworth said he “could almost cry” at the decision, which he has worked towards for four years.
He said: “Unanimous support is a big thing to me, as well as helping to avoid a public inquiry. If the Government call it in (for an inquiry) we will have serious problems.”
Because of the size of the scheme, it will be automatically referred to the Government by Wirral Council, and will shortly reach the desk of Eric Pickles, secretary of state for Communities and Local Government.
Mr Ashworth said: “If there is a public inquiry, we would either fight it – which is two years and a couple of million pounds – or back off. I don’t want to spend any more money.”
He added: “I was not going to appeal against refusal. I would have picked up my bag and gone away.”
But he declared himself “well pleased” by the council’s decision which is projected to create tens of thousands of jobs during the decades of construction and approximately 27,000 jobs when complete. The aim is to attract major international organisations to the site. During the meeting, councillors were told Wirral’s population had declined dramatically since the mid-1960s, a key indicator of economic fortunes, as people left the area for jobs.
In their presentation, planning officers highlighted the woeful state of some of the areas surrounding the docklands which suffer high rates of worklessness and deprivation. They also pointed to studies which show a lack of office space which prevents companies locating in the borough.
There were objections to the application, primarily from consultants for retail organisations, which were dismissed by committee member Cllr David Elderton as “mealy mouthed”.
Chairman of the committee, Cllr Dave Mitchell, echoed his colleagues in praising council officers who had worked with Peel on the application. He said: “People don’t realise this has been developed over five years and a lot of work has been done by our staff.”
Cllr Phil Gilchrist said he had some concerns about the height of the tallest buildings in the scheme which would dwarf Bidston Hill, but ultimately backed the scheme, as did Cllr George Davies, who said he was “absolutely delighted” to be part of the meeting, and described seeing the transformation of Salford Quays from a similar wasteland.
He said: “I just hope the people of Birkenhead, Wallasey and Wirral can enjoy the same benefits in the future.”
Wirral Council leader, Cllr Jeff Green, said: “This is a fantastic day for the people of Birkenhead and Wallasey and the future of Wirral. We can now look forward to the site’s transformation over the coming years to help improve the economic fortunes of the Borough and that of its residents.”
Cllr Andrew Hodson, cabinet member for regeneration and planning strategy, said: “This is a great day for Wirral.
“We have been working closely with Peel for almost four years to bring jobs and regeneration to the borough.
“The approval of this planning application will lead to the total transformation of what is currently derelict brownfield land within East Float at Birkenhead Docks and when finished will create over 27,000 jobs.
“This has taken place against a backdrop of the worst recession in living memory and it is a credit to both Peel and Wirral council that we have kept the plans moving.”
Cllr Hodson added: “Subject to getting the OK from the Government, we hope work will start on site within the next two years, and officers of the council will continue to work with Peel as we move into the development phase.”
Deputy leader of the council, Simon Holbrook, said it was a “historic moment”, and described the application as a “new chapter” for Wirral and “shows ambition”.
If you would like discuss how our Debt Recovery/Debt Collection service can assist your business, please visit the ‘Debt Recovery/Debt Collection’ section on our website, contact us on +44 (0) 151 515 3014 or email us.
Please note: Information in this blog post is content property of LDP Business News and the full original article can be found by clicking here.
