New Ferry: New homes plan for community hit by gas blast

A whole street was levelled by the March 2017 blast

Plans have been passed to restore part of a community hit by a devastating gas blast which reduced buildings to rubble and left dozens injured.

Eighty-one people were hurt, two seriously, in the explosion at a shop in New Ferry, Wirral, in March 2017.

Pascal Blasio was later jailed for deliberately causing the explosion in a botched insurance job.

Wirral Council has approved plans to build up to 79 new homes and retail space on three sites in the area.

Outline permission has been granted, allowing the council to buy land or properties still privately owned.

It then hopes to attract developers to bring the plans to fruition.

The council is looking to attract developers to the site

Boundary Road saw the bulk of the devastation from the blast, with 63 properties were destroyed.

A council spokesman said the authority wanted to reach deals with the owners of derelict properties, but could resort to compulsory purchase orders in some cases.

The vision is to build a mixture of two and three-bedroom houses and one and two-bedroom apartments.

The blast left 81 people injured and destroyed or damaged 63 properties

Wirral Council leader Pat Hackett said: "New Ferry is one of the council's major priorities and has been ever since that devastating night in March 2017.

"It has been, however, a very complex process to get to the position we are now in, which is a significant milestone for the redevelopment plans."