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Economic Development

Wirral Council leader vows action as Birkenhead regeneration costs soar to £24m

Authority said more than half of the project still needs to be completed

Regeneration works on Europa Boulevard (Image: Ed Barnes/Local Democracy Reporting Service)

The "shocking" preliminary findings of an independent probe into regeneration works in Birkenhead have been unveiled, revealing that costs have doubled. The situation has been deemed unacceptable by Wirral's new council leader, Cllr Paula Basnett, who stated the council "will take stock and get a proper grip of what is going on and establish where we can go from here."

Regeneration efforts are currently underway across Birkenhead, with work progressing on the main high street on Grange Road, Charing Cross, Conway Street, and Europa Boulevard. However, a recent report suggested the scheme could be more than six months behind schedule, and the council has now confirmed that over half of the project still needs to be completed.

New paving, street furniture, transport routes, and other significant changes are being implemented in hopes that the revamped look will aid in the regeneration of the struggling town centre and attract more shoppers. However, the works carried out have resulted in traffic delays, and businesses have reported a decrease in footfall as a consequence.

The cost of the scheme is now estimated at £24m, which includes an anticipated £3m in management fees. The project initially commenced with a budget of £11.9m.

This significant overspend was exposed after the borough's Liberal Democrats urged the local authority to provide clear explanations about the current situation. Cllr Stuart Kelly, a member of the council's audit committee which scrutinises the local authority, stated that the council needed "to get everything out into the open as soon as possible."

Upon her election in May, Cllr Basnett called for a review of the council's regeneration projects, arguing that too many initiatives were stagnating. She asserted this would "provide certainty, set realistic timelines, and ensure local residents receive the benefits" promising "no more delays and no more excuses".

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Basnett said: "It was clear from what businesses and residents were saying that the works [in Birkenhead] needed to be urgently reviewed. The early results are shocking, with indications that the project is going to take even longer than we were told, and costs spiralling.

"This is completely unacceptable, and further work will be undertaken to consider the information revealed by the initial audit findings. As a Council we will take stock and get a proper grip of what is going on and establish where we can go from here.