'New chapter' for town as £300m boost agreed

What the Hind Street development could look like

A £300m development deal for a Wirral town has been signed, promising 1,600 new homes, a new park and a primary school.

The Birkenhead Hind Street Urban Village project - an agreement between Wirral Council and ION Property Development - will also see the demolition of flyovers to the Birkenhead tunnel, space for new businesses and health facilities.

Wirral council leader Paula Basnett described it as a huge step forward and "the beginning of a new chapter" for the town.

The brownfield site on the banks of the River Mersey will be developed in stages over the next 10-15 years.

Work has begun on Hind Street Urban Village

Wirral Council called the development a key part their "brownfield-first regeneration programme", designed to deliver growth to the area.

The scheme has already had significant financial backing, with just under £30m from government housing body Homes England and £22.4m from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The council said the money would help prepare the site to build the first phase of 633 homes over the next two years.

Work begun on the site earlier this year to clear away vegetation, and to gain a better understanding of the issues on in the area before house building can begin.

Cllr Paula Basnett and ION Developments Managing Director Steve Parry

Basnett added: "The Hind Street Urban Village will transform a long-neglected site into a thriving new neighbourhood right at the heart of our borough."

ION Developments said in the future, people would be invited to view progress on the site, and that they had a "clear and deliverable plan for the scheme".