Work on New Brighton's Neptune scheme 320

PLANS to increase the number of retail outlets at a major new development in Wirral look set to be approved by the local authority.

Planning experts at Wirral Council have recommended the change to the approved planning application for the Neptune scheme in New Brighton.

Neptune Developments recently appointed contractor Bowmer and Kirkland to carry out the second, £35m phase of the massive £60m New Brighton scheme.

The second phase of the plans includes a new Morrisons supermarket, a 66-bed Travelodge hotel, a digital cinema, bars, restaurants, a watersports training centre, a new model boating lake and a public Lido.

The Marine Lake and the new Promenade and Model Boating Lake are due to be completed by summer, 2010, with the Morrisons supermarket ready to start fitting-out shortly.

The first phase of the Neptune regeneration scheme had started with the widely acclaimed recreation of the Floral Pavilion Theatre.

And work has now started on the next stage of the project with the draining of the Marine Lake – sediment from the bottom of which will be used to fill in holes on the site of the new development.