In March 2017 a huge gas explosion destroyed homes and businesses and left 80 people injured in New Ferry in Wirral – now regeneration work is finally set to begin. Tony McDonough reports
Five years after the Wirral district of New Ferry was left devastated by a huge gas explosion work on its regeneration is about to begin.
Wirral Council has chosen affordable housing provider Regenda Group as its preferred developer for the area, which borders the historic Port Sunlight Village. Regenda will build 71 new homes, with construction being undertaken by its subsidiary M&Y.
On a Saturday evening in March 2017, a huge gas explosion ripped through the district, destroying buildings, including Griffiths the Butcher and Chinese restaurant Lan’s House, and injuring more than 80 people. The blast could be heard several miles away and it was a miracle no one was killed.
In October 2019, furniture shop owner Pascal Blasio was jailed for 20 years for causing the blast in a botched attempt to claim £50,000 insurance. He had denied being responsible but was convicted by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court.
In the aftermath of the disaster Wirral Council has provided £200,000 of emergency funding for those most affected. This is in addition to the investment of nearly £1.3m by the council to buy key sites in the town centre as part of the development of a masterplan.
However it was clear more money was going to be needed to properly regenerate the area. And now a big slice of Government funding that Wirral Council has secured for the whole borough will finally allow work on New Ferry to begin.
Fortunately, Wirral Council has been more successful than any other of the six Liverpool city region local authorities in applying for regeneration cash from the various Government pots.
It has secured £25m from the Town Deal Fund, £24.7m from the Future High Street Fund, £19.6m from the Levelling Up Fund and up to £24m will be pouring into the town from the Combined Authority. £3.2m will go to New Ferry, although this is less than the £4.6m that was originally asked for.
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Of the 71 new homes being built by Regenda there will be 20 one and two-bedroom apartments and 31 two, three and four-bedroom houses which will be available for rent to buy through Liverpool-based property company Redwing. This is to support first-time buyers.
And 14 one and two-bedroom apartments, plus six two-bedroom houses, will be built for affordable rent through social housing provider, Regenda Homes. Stephanie Harrison, executive director operations customer service for Regenda, said: “Our proposed plans meet the critical demand for affordable rent and homeownership in the area.
“As a local company with a strong community focus, we have pledged to create opportunities for local schools, colleges and young people no longer in education or training throughout and hope to deliver many benefits to the wider community, who collectively have been through so much since the incident.”
As part of its commitment to the community, Regenda has pledged to create opportunities for local young people throughout the project. Five apprentices will be directly employed to work on the site, with further traineeship opportunities and work experience placements available for 16–24-year-olds through The Learning Foundry.
Local schools will be invited to take part in site visits for children to learn about careers in construction and some will also benefit from the ‘Raising Aspirations’ programme the group offers through Positive Footprints.
M&Y Maintenance and Construction also have a strong track record of connecting with and supporting the communities that they work in, often becoming involved with local initiatives and charities.
Chair of Wirral’s Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee, Cllr Tony Jones, added: “People shouldn’t underestimate the significance of this announcement. The regeneration of New Ferry is – and has been since the gas explosion in March 2017 – a top priority for the council.
“However, it has been and remains a complex and long-term process due to the majority of the land and buildings earmarked within the masterplan being in private ownership.
“It has taken investment and a lot of hard work to get us to the point where a large proportion of these sites are now owned by the council and we have been able to appoint the Regenda Group as our preferred developer.”
The council is being supported in its work to regenerate New Ferry by property consultancy, Avison Young. Regenda will submit its detailed plans to Wirral Council’s planning committee towards the end of the summer.