Decision details

Development Funding For Birkenhead Central Gateway

Decision Maker: Director of Regeneration and Place

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

This report seeks approval to accept the offer £1,460,900 of grant funding fromthe Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) and to enter into aGrant Funding Agreement with the LCRCA to enable the transfer of funds to theCouncil. Thegrant isto facilitatethe implementationof essentialpre-development worksin support of the aim and objectives of the Birkenhead 2040 Framework, specificallyin relationto theBirkenhead CentralGateway transportand publicrealm works.

Decision:

That the Director of Regeneration andPlace:

 

(1)  Accepts the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority offer of grant aid inthe sum of up to a maximum of £1,460,900 to be secured by way of aGrant Funding Agreement on terms outlined in paragraphs 3.2 to 3.5 of thereport.

 

(2)  Approves the commencement of the necessarypre-development work outlined in paragraph 3.1 of the report.

Reasons for the decision:

The offer of grant support is a significant endorsement by the LCRCA of the Council’s ambitious plans under the Birkenhead 2040Framework and represents a major opportunity to progress those plans in a tangibleway. Acceptance ofthe grantoffer willenable drawdown ofresources to facilitate pre-development works to progress the Council’s vision.The workswill havea catalyticimpact andwill re-connectsignificant areasof central Birkenhead and strengthen the impact of a number ofindividual projects beyond.

 

The central objective of the pre-development works is to removephysical severance and create new linkages between Birkenhead town centre andadjacent key development in locations such as at Hind Street, WirralWaters and Woodsidefor example.The GrantFunding Agreementlists theseareas under the three projectsub-headings;

Argyle Street, (ii) Woodside and (iii) the proposed Dock BranchPark.

 

The funding is also targeted to progress an overarching placemakingagenda which will engage with residents and businesses focusing ontransport behavioural change and the implementation of active travel measureswithin the project areas. The aim is to encourage the use of attractive andwell- designed active travel corridors to link development areas together.

 

Alternative options considered:

The individual projects for which the pre-development grant aid will helpto deliver are the product of the Council’s Birkenhead 2040 FrameworkStrategy and will support both the Local Plan and the Wirral Plan2021-2026 objectives, therefore a do-nothing option can be discounted giventhe importance of the strategies and the support it will provide for asuccessful delivery of a number of key brownfield urban regeneration projects incentral Birkenhead.

 

In theory the Council could choose to not accept the grant aid or seekto renegotiate the terms of the agreement however that would not be inthe interests ofprogressing importantregeneration projectsfor whichthe Council has already agreed to implement. There are no other resources currently available to the Council therefore this option is also not recommended.

 

 

Publication date: 18/11/2021

Date of decision: 18/11/2021

Effective from: 24/11/2021

Accompanying Documents: