A £20m project to transform Birkenhead waterfront is moving a step closer with Wirral Council submitting new plans for the area. Tony McDonough reports
Wirral Council is advancing plans for the £20m transformation of the waterfront Woodside area of Birkenhead.
Woodside Mersey Ferry terminal is already undergoing a £10m rebuild which is due for completion by spring 2028. And the council is keen to complement this with a new look for the surrounding area, a project it has prevously called Woodside Culture Park.
Already a popular spot for taking in the views of Liverpool waterfront directly across the River, the council wants to make it a more attractive visitor destination. Following the COVID pandemic there was an outdoor market that operated for a short time.
With £20m of Government funding, the authority wants to create a welcoming environment and to make it easier for people to move between the ferry, waterfront attractions, local businesses and Birkenhead’s retail core.
This follows extensive survey work around the area to provide detailed information about the site before construction gets underway. These new plans, backed by £20m of Government funding, also support the Woodside Masterplan.
Plans have been submitted for approval and once consent is secured key changes will see the existing area, which is currently dominated by a wide bus interchange reimagined as a new public space.
It would include improved landscaping across the centre of the site, bounding a children’s play area, with existing trees retained and new tree planting. The bus interchange will be relocated to the south of the site.
The council said: “The transformation of the Woodside area also ties in with the wider ambition for Birkenhead which is seeing significant investment in new public spaces, transport infrastructure, housing, culture and town centre improvements.”
The Woodside improvement works are also being delivered alongside a number of other projects in the vicinity, including at Woodside a renewed Battle of the Atlantic visitor attraction and the new ferry pontoon.
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This co-ordinated approach is seeking a collective opening agreed with all partners, including ferry services, in spring 2028.
The overall project vision will see renewed highway connections and improved public spaces at Woodside linking with improvements to surrounding areas up to the Argyle Street/Conway Street roundabout where it will meet the recent town centre upgrades.