A MAJOR redevelopment of a Wirral seaside town has been given a boost by a £3.9m grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The money is being used for the preparatory works for the second and major phase of the New Brighton scheme, and comes as work progresses on the project.

The “new New Brighton” scheme covers 14 hectares of New Brighton seafront and the grant will pay for a new model boating lake, car parking, a promenade, and a new seawall.

The development will eventually see a new Morrisons supermarket, hotel, fitness centre, cinema, bars and restaurants and a revamped marine lake.

Work began on Phase Two of the development just days before Christmas and the grant is intended to lever a further investment of £33.6m from Neptune Developments.

It will build on the first phase of the programme which received a £3.6m investment from the NWDA via the Mersey Waterfront Programme towards the £11m new Floral Pavilion theatre and conference centre.

Wirral Council leader, Cllr Steve Foulkes, said: “Phase One has delivered real benefits to the town already via the Floral Pavilion and I’m looking forward to Phase Two and the exciting opportunities it will bring.

“At a time of such economic uncertainty, it is also a testimony to the hard work undertaken by both council officers and members that we are continuing to deliver on the objectives set by Wirral’s Investment Strategy.”

The scheme is expected to create 714 new jobs through a series of new retail and leisure facilities by 2012, attract six new businesses to New Brighton, and deliver 20,667 sq m of new floorspace through new retail and leisure facilities.

Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune Developments, said work was progressing well, although they had discovered remains of the foundations of the former outdoor pool.