Diggers now on site at major 1,600-home Birkenhead housing development
Diggers have arrived on the site of a major new urban village set to be built next to Birkenhead town centre.
Last month councillors backed plans for the Hind Street site by approving the planning application which provides outline consent for a new neighbourhood with up to 1,600 new homes, a new park along the old Dock Branch railway line, new and improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport, along with the development of other commercial and community facilities.
Before any building work on new homes can start the site will need extensive remediation to address the contamination caused by its former use as the town’s gasworks, along with some works to improve transport links and create the new Dock Branch park.
The council has secured £52m from Homes England and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to undertake these remediation and infrastructure works which are scheduled to start in autumn 2025.
Prior to the start of this main contract, John Sisk & Son has been appointed to undertake further surveys and design work on the site under a Pre-Contract Service Agreement (PCSA).
Part of this preparatory work by Sisk includes some vegetation clearance, so from February there will be diggers and other activity on the site as they clear the way for the remediation and infrastructure works to start later in the year.
These initial preparatory works and the main contract to address the remediation and provide the new infrastructure will be undertaken by John Sisk & Son and are expected to take up to two years, meaning construction of the first new homes is expected to start in 2027.
The project is being delivered by Wirral Council in partnership with developers ION Property Developments, with Liverpool-based Ion initially responsible for managing the delivery of the remediation and infrastructure works on the council’s behalf. ION will then take the lead on delivering the housing, with 633 new homes being delivered on the remediated site over the next few years.
Once that phase has been delivered, the project will then focus on the northern part of the site to deliver further housing and commence the process of demolishing the flyovers which separate the site from Birkenhead town centre.
Cllr Paul Stuart, Leader of Wirral Council, said: “Hind Street has been a project on the horizon for a long time, and it’s a street name that has become synonymous with the huge amount of ambition we’ve always had for this development.
“Now that the clearance work has started, the sheer size and scale of this opportunity is obvious to see – it’s a catalyst site that will completely transform the area. It also shows our ability to work with partners to deliver a large and complex development.”
He added: “Not only will this create jobs in the short term, but it will also provide much needed new homes and facilities in the heart of our borough’s largest town, helping us deliver against our growth-focused regeneration programme to boost Wirral’s economy, bring greater prosperity to our borough and make Wirral an even more desirable place to live, work and bring up families.”
Cllr Graham Morgan, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “It’s very exciting to see work start on this fantastic site, which will be transformational for Birkenhead and Wirral as a whole, creating much needed homes for the area and boosting the local economy.
“The site is breathtaking in its scale and I am sure that its proximity to both Birkenhead town centre and to local rail links, offering connectivity to Liverpool, Chester and the North West, will make its 1,600 new homes a very attractive proposition. I can’t wait to see the development progress so people can move into beautiful new homes in what will become a thriving new community.”
Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Homes England, said: “The Hind Street project is a perfect example of Homes England’s mission in action, to support local and combined authority partners in bringing brownfield sites back to life by building new homes and creating thriving places.”
Steve Parry, managing director at ION Developments, said: “After a significant period of planning and collaboration between a number of parties, today marks the beginning of the next chapter in this exciting project.
“As well as the clearance work, we have a full team engaged in the detailed design of the remediation and new site access road. Together these mark the start of a transformative new era for this part of Birkenhead, ultimately creating a range of brand new homes and community spaces in the heart of the town.”
Robin Metcalf, regional director, Sisk, said: “Over the next few weeks we will be carrying out site investigation works within the gas works and Hind Street as we assist our design partners for the remediation and enabling works packages.”
The project is a key part of Wirral’s ambitious, brownfield-first regeneration programme, which is designed to deliver growth through innovative development and partnerships across sites including Birkenhead Town Centre, the Waterfront and Wirral Waters.
Main pic shows, from left: Catherine Holmes (Homes England), Cllr Paul Stewart, Ian Gordon (Wirral Council) Paul Satoor (Wirral Council), Rob Mason (ION Developments), Steve Parry (ION), Paul Buntin (LCRCA), Cllr Graham Morgan, Kris Willis (Sisk), Cllr Mike Wharton (LCRCA)
