Councillors open a ‘new chapter’ and back £4.5bn scheme, as Liam Murphy reports

IT WAS described as “the most important development for Wirral since John Laird came to form his shipyard” by Birkenhead MP Frank Field.

And last night the £4.5bn Wirral Waters scheme was unanimously approved by the council’s planning committee.

The meeting at Wallasey Town Hall erupted into applause as councillors voted in favour of a scheme which was described by many of them as “transformative” for the borough.

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The outline planning application will allow for the dockland area between Birkenhead and Wallasey to be developed by Peel Holdings with a scheme they say will rival waterfront developments across the globe.

All four of Wirral’s MPs had written in support of the application, which is the biggest of its type in the UK.

Covering 50 hectares of dockland – some of which is operational but vastly reduced from its heyday – the ambition of Peel is to repeat the success they have enjoyed in Salford Quays, with a scheme anticipated to grow over the next three decades.

The planning committee was being asked to effectively set the “ground rules” for the development as it is expected to emerge in the coming years. No detailed plans have yet been submitted and Peel director Lindsey Ashworth has said it would be 2012 at the earliest before any work is likely to start.

Following the meeting, Mr Ashworth said he “could almost cry” at the decision, which he has worked towards for four years.