Wirral Council has unveiled plans to invest nearly £5.7m in the revival of a town centre that was severely damaged by an explosion seven years ago. The funding is part of several initiatives the local authority is advancing in New Ferry.
The blast, at a former furniture store off Boundary Road, ripped through the town's high street, injuring 81 people, rendering 78 homeless and forcing 28 businesses to close behind police cordons. Seven businesses have not reopened since, leading residents to argue that the town has been in steady decline ever since.
In response, Wirral Council has partnered with the Regenda Group to develop plans for new town centre homes and improvements to the high street, with work already underway at two sites. Earlier this year, councillors unanimously approved the creation of 43 new affordable homes, comprising 33 houses and 10 flats off New Chester Road.
The council had previously received £3.2m from the government's Future High Streets fund, a portion of which will be used to enhance the area outside the shops on Bebington Road. The aim is to "make the shopping areas more attractive for traders, visitors and residents and will include traffic-calming measures, new planting and seating, additional CCTV to deter anti-social behaviour and a re-provided public car park."
A total of £623,523 has been allocated for highway improvements, with the remaining funds earmarked to support new housing developments in the town. Wirral Council revealed that initial plans included reopening Bebington Road to vehicles and making minimal changes, reports .
However, following public engagement in September 2022, there was a strong push for the pedestrianised area to remain and for additional traffic calming measures to be implemented. An update on the scheme was recently provided in a report presented to councillors at a Policy and Resources committee meeting on November 6.
The report proposed redistributing other grant funding "to cover the rising costs and a redesign of the scheme in order to fully deliver the project" with a total budget of £5.657m. The local authority stated: "Due to significant rises in material and labour costs due to inflation and a redesign of the scheme, this has had a significant impact on the overall costs, which has resulted in additional funding now being required to fully deliver the regeneration proposals, to the expectations of the community."
Funding for improvements to Bebington Road has not yet been secured, although leftover funds from land purchases may be utilised.
The council is also exploring whether existing grant funding could be reallocated and ways to reduce costs, a process expected to take several months.
A regeneration committee report published in September reveals that construction work on the high street is slated to commence in April 2025 and wrap up by December. The initial homes around Bebington Road are projected to be completed by June 2025.
Furthermore, the development of 43 homes on the sites of Woodhead Street car park, buildings on New Chester Road and a former Co-Op is scheduled to kick off in the summer of 2025, with demolition set to begin earlier that year.
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