Double planning boost for Wirral Waters

Spades are finally in the ground on the Cheshire civils project: in the works since 2017, consented in 2019 but buffeted around the funding system for years since.

Closed in 1994, the railway facility is among a suite of pipeline transport projects for which sign-off will be requested next week.

The local authority’s cabinet will this week be asked to sign off the contractor’s appointment to deliver a four-arm roundabout on the New Whalley Old Road, opening up access for a projected 1,000+ homes.

Network Rail has invested £20m in the critical year-long infrastructure project, a four-way roundabout joining central Stockport to Edgeley by road over the mainline railway.

Part of a wider £27bn investment in Britain’s roads over the next five years, the programme also includes upgrades to the perma-congested Simister Island in Bury as well as a link road in Wigan that could unlock thousands of homes.

The council will file a formal objection to a transport & works act order relating to the Stalybridge-Diggle part of Network Rail’s Transpennine Route Upgrade railway improvement project.

Contractor JF Hunt has begun a £15m programme to prepare the way for the Newton-le-Willows project’s 800,000 sq ft first stage.

Negotiations to acquire land needed to build a 1.1km relief road to unlock the 1,800-home development are not progressing quickly enough, prompting the council to flex its compulsory purchase muscles.

Almost £90m for the Carrington Relief Road, £70m for a potentially Ryder Cup-clinching highway, and £60m for a new Metrolink station in North Manchester are among the projects given a significant equity boost.

Gleeson’s plans for 85 homes off Blackburn Road in Oswaldtwistle have been refused, while a relief road to serve the emerging Huncoat Garden Village has been greenlit.

From marinas to innovation districts, Northern leaders pitched £500m investment visions for their regions at this Dragons Den-style event.

The Office for Investment is targeting late spring to kick off the the Strategic Sites Accelerator, aimed at unlocking major schemes aligned with the government’s industrial strategy.

This panel session hosted by Place North explored how from offshore wind farms and tidal power to advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure, the North of England is positioning itself as one of the UK’s most important energy and technology powerhouses. 

Mayors, city leaders, and Combined Authority officials from across the Midlands, the North of England, and Scotland used a roundtable hosted by Place North to argue that the UK’s next wave of growth will be driven by regional cities, highlighting opportunities in AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and housing, while calling for deeper devolution and stronger infrastructure investment.

With an integrated settlement due to land in April, increasing inward investment, and a growing pipeline of potentially transformative projects to deliver, now is the time for the city region to hit the accelerator, according to participants at a roundtable discussion hosted by Robertson Group.

Phase two of a masterplan for the town centre, comprising the Pier Link and Garden Street schemes, has been put into motion this week with contractor George Cox & Sons now on site.

Growth across the 10 boroughs that make up GM is outpacing the national average but leaders in places like Bolton, Oldham, and Rochdale are still fighting hard to overcome intracity region disparities. Participants at a roundtable discussion hosted by Euan Kellie Property Solutions explored how best to close the gap.

The group’s order book has also swelled to £19.1bn over the last 12 months, while revenue rose 10% to more than £5bn.

The city council’s cabinet meeting next week is set to rubber-stamp a £4m package of highway improvements, part of its wider £250m regeneration programme for the Anfield area.