Regeneration scheme set to create 140 jobs in Wirral town

Beacon Arts Village

A scheme to rejuvenate a Wirral town centre is set to create 140 jobs.

The Beacon Arts Village project in Hoylake has won a government grant of £3.6m.

The scheme is a partnership with Hoylake Village Life Community Interest Company and site owners Hylgar Properties.

Work is set to start this this autumn on an “arts village” with a two-screen cinema, restaurant, bar, café bistro as well as creative studios, apartments and retail spaces.

The project will lead to more than 140 jobs during design, construction and operation, and is due to open in October next year.

Mark Howard, Hoylake Village Life volunteer and founder of the community cinema, said: “We’ve done a huge amount of public consultation; from this and from the overwhelmingly positive feedback to the planning application it’s clear that many people feel this is exactly the kind of development Hoylake needs.

“To stay alive, a town needs to keep up a process of continual change and sustainable redevelopment and this project is an exemplar of that.

“It’s superbly located adjacent to the train station and sits on a high street that needs greater animation and footfall and we believe this will increase Hoylake’s attraction for visitors, as well as create scores of jobs and future collaboration opportunities.”

The Victorian building is  home to the monthly ‘pop-up’ Hoylake Community Cinema, as well as a number of small creative firms including BAFTA award winning film production company, Mad as Birds.

 

The grant has been awarded from the Coastal Communities Fund, by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government.

The scheme is designed to help coastal communities flourish and strengthen their appeal as places to live, work and visit.

Hylgar Properties has said it will deliver a new build housing the 18 studio/retail spaces, with the upper floors of the development to be converted into 40 apartments using private funding.

 

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close