Wirral backs Birkenhead office-to-resi conversion

Europa House will be redeveloped into 24 homes for young people leaving foster care, under plans from The Johnson Foundation.

Wirral Council has approved the conversion of the 23,600 sq ft office building, located off Conway Street and Europa Boulevard.

The 24 homes will each provide a single bedroom and will be spread across the building’s three floors. The scheme will also provide on-site support for residents and feature office spaces, consultation rooms, and communal facilities.

Darren Muir, director of planning at Pegasus Group, explained the rationale behind the development.

“This site is part of the Central Birkenhead Regeneration Area in the emerging Wirral Local Plan, where a mix of uses is encouraged.

Utilising existing buildings is a sustainable alternative to demolition and new construction and the approved use for housing young people exiting foster care will help meet the demand for specialised housing in the borough.”

The project team, led by Pegasus Group, includes Falconer Chester Hall as architect, Curtins as transport consultant, E3P as acoustic consultant, Harley Haddow for M&E services, Orion Fire for fire strategy, and Simply CDM for construction design and management.

The planning application can be viewed on Wirral Council’s website by searching reference number APP/24/00886.

Kate Eugeni, chair of The Johnson Foundation, said: “On behalf of the Johnson Foundation, we thank the project team and planning officers at Wirral Council for their proactive engagement and efforts to secure a timely consent.”

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