Work starts today on Wirral demolition
Contractor J Freeley will begin what is expected to be an 18-week programme, bringing down a municipal building at Seaview Road in Liscard to make way for affordable housing.
The site clearance contract is worth £492,963. Works will start with an internal soft strip, before the main demolition phase kicks off.
Procurement for a housing partner will begin soon, Wirral Council said.
Progress at Seaview Road follows a decision by councillors last month to progress delivery of the Liscard Levelling Up Fund 3 programme as a standalone scheme, following a pause in the project last year.
The overall funding package to deliver regeneration across Liscard is made up of £10.78m of funding from LUF3, matched by £1.2m of council funding from its capital programme.
Along with affordable homes here, the regeneration aspirations cover public realm improvements and improved community facilities.
The site is allocated for housing in Wirral’s newly adopted brownfield-only Local Plan and is described as a key part of the wider redevelopment of the Seaview Road car park area.
Cllr Paul Stuart, Leader of Wirral Council, said: “Work starting to prepare this key site for affordable housing is a significant milestone in Liscard’s regeneration, as we progress with the Levelling Up 3 programme.
“Over the coming months, we’ll be working closely with the community as our plans for the town are developed further, helping to build a more resilient, prosperous Liscard and turning the vision we’ve had for some time now a reality.
“It’s the latest site in Wirral’s ambitious regeneration plan to take a major step forward this year, and demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver on the plans we’ve so diligently developed.”
To progress delivery of the overall scheme, the council has appointed Mott MacDonald to draw up RIBA 1 and RIBA 2 design options for the public realm in Liscard Town Centre, with work on this currently underway and public consultation on the initial designs expected soon.
In parallel, a strategy is also being developed to improve existing properties within the town centre, which could be supported by the LUF programme.
There is an approved Liscard Neighbourhood Framework, which is the guiding principle for regeneration in the area.
A number of community partners are involved in the work to reimagine the town, the council said, with the Liscard Together Partnership being formally launched in June 2024.
Demolishing Wirral seems unduly harsh.
By PLF_Cloud_Cuckoo_Land
Big mistake not to keep the former Municipal building and convert it to flats/townhouses. They have probably devalued the site by demolishing it.
By Heritage Action
Most of Liscard town centre it’s not fit for purpose if you’re in a wheelchair lots of shop doors or too small as their old buildings the pavements are opened down all broken and are a nuisance
By Quinn moss