Daily news bulletin: Lime Street revamp update, COVID hospitality grant

Amendments to the controversial redesign of the area around Liverpool Lime Street station are being proposed to city councillors next week.

Critics argued that the original plans for the redevelopment of Lime Street and St George’s Plateau would cut off the city’s bus routes from Liverpool’s mainline station.

The new plans would see buses given the green light to travel in both directions on Lime Street and a bus stop installed outside the station following the removal of access at Brownlow Hill.

The multi-million pound project was put on hold in October last year when Nottingham-based firm NMCN plc, the principal contractor behind the revamp of one of the city’s key gateways, fell into administration.

The council’s highways and transportation team were tasked with undertaking a review of the Lime Street scheme before new contractors were appointed.

Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant

Businesses from the hospitality and leisure sectors are invited to apply for a one-off payment of up to £6,000.

The Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant is funded by central government and will support businesses that the Omicron variant has most impacted.

Eligible businesses will include:

• Food courts, cafes, pubs and restaurants (Hospitality)
• Museums, cinemas, wedding venues, clubs and soft play centres (Leisure)
• Hotels, hostels, guest houses and holiday apartments (Accommodation)

Help to Buy at Wirral Waters

Some homes at Wirral Waters are set to become easier to purchase with Help to Buy support.

This government-backed scheme helps first-time buyers in England onto the property ladder by letting them buy a home with a deposit of just 5% of the purchase price.

Wirral Waters, a project from Peel and Urban Splash, is set to deliver up to 13,000 homes on the former Birkenhead docks over the next 30 years.