First food business announced at forthcoming Wirral arts development

Operators of a visitor destination being developed in Wirral have revealed details of the first of three food and drink outlets which will open in the coming months.

Lucky Penny Consultants, the Liverpool-based hospitality consultants, have announced the name for the café in the atrium of the new £3.64m Beacon Arts Village in Hoylake and the style of food that will be served there.

They say the name Beldi, after the Moroccan word meaning traditional, homemade and local, not only hints at the style of food that will be offered, but also the wider vision behind it.

Set in a beautiful courtyard beneath a stunning glass flat roof and mezzanine walkway, with hanging plants and pendant lighting, Beldi will deliver a fresh and buzzy take on Eastern Mediterranean and North African cuisine and Levantine influence.

Steven Burgess, managing director of Lucky Penny Consultants, said: “The atrium at the back of the building is an amazing space which will be flooded with light and we want to make sure that it is really beautiful and delivers a great dining experience, whatever time of day people visit.

“With Beldi we are creating something not currently available in the area, but, nonetheless, which will complement the other offers in the building, as well as what is already on the high street to boost further Hoylake’s growing appeal.

“In time, we hope to be able to use produce provided by growers from local allotments in order to keep our spend hyper local, to help us be more self-sufficient, and to engender a genuine sense of community ownership.”

The Beacon Arts Village project is funded through the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund, which is designed to help seaside locations flourish and strengthen their appeal as places to live, work and visit.

As well as Beldi, The Beacon will feature a two-screen cinema, a restaurant and a bar and eventually 18 creative studio and retail spaces for artists and makers around a central courtyard.

Steven added: “This is an exciting milestone in the project, and we are looking forward to revealing details of Beldi’s neighbouring businesses soon.”

The project is creating more than 140 jobs during design, construction and operation.

Since 2012, the Coastal Communities Fund has invested £228m into 395 projects UK-wide.