PUBLIC transport surrounding Wirral Waters would be boosted by £18m from Peel if the ambitious scheme is given the green light by planners tonight.

The council’s planning committee will consider a financial agreement which forms part of the planning application to completely transform the dockland area between Birkenhead and Wallasey.

The deal with Wirral Council commits the Manchester-based developer to contribute to revamping nearby train and bus stations, and even helping to buy new trains for Merseyrail and improving bus services.

It is part of a Section 106 agreement which says the developer “will pay a set tariff of £1,000 per residential unit or per 100 sq m of commercial floorspace”.

According to the agreement: “This standard figure will be requested at each Reserved Matters stage, dependent on the residential and commercial figures within the application”. This tariff will also be index linked.

The cash will be used for “sustainable transport in the area and strategic public transport accessibility to and from the area from other major economic areas”.