Wirral Waters set for approval

WIRRAL Council is expected to approve outline plans for the East Float part of Peel Holdings’ £4.5bn Wirral Waters scheme next week.

The plans cover a 123-acre site and will provide 4.5 million sq ft of mixed-use floor space at Birkenhead Docks, more than 13,500 homes and a range of supporting infrastructure.

It has been dubbed the largest planning application in the UK by the council and will take 30-40 years to build.

In an agenda document published ahead of the meeting on August 3 the council said the scale of the plans demanded flexibility but it was also keen to see how Peel will implement the proposals.

It said: “A degree of flexibility is therefore essential to the applicant in order to accommodate the way in which the site is developed. At the same time, any grant of planning permission must give sufficient certainty that the approved development is capable of implementation within an agreed policy framework.”

Planning officers said the application had complex implications on existing commercial centres, transport, social infrastructure, sustainability, energy, flood risk, heritage and urban design.

The report said: “The proposed scheme when developed has the potential to transform the physical environment through place-making and a high quality built environment. This will enable local communities to have access to new economic opportunities and to safeguard the port sector and maritime SMEs through relocation and investment in the port.

“The provision of the right physical infrastructure, including transport, energy, waste and water will ensure that the proposed development becomes an exemplar in sustainable development.”

Liverpool City Council’s leader Joe Anderson will meet with his counterparts tomorrow to give the plans the city’s seal of approval.