Key Merseyside project bringing restaurant, shops, outdoor event space and more to dockside thrown into doubt
A key Wirral Waters project might not go ahead if an independent review finds it is unviable. The scheme promises to bring a new restaurant and businesses to the Birkenhead area but faces another hurdle.
The proposed Egerton Village project on Tower Road looks to create a dockside restaurant, bistro, a coffee shop, retail units, artist studios, workspaces as well as an outdoor event space. The aim is to support growth and regeneration within the Wirral Waters area.
The project moved forward in 2024 after Wirral councillors agreed to sign a deal with Starship Regeneration Egerton Village Limited as well as Peel L&P Investments and Property Limited. This was subject to further due diligence.
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According to previous council reports, the scheme if it goes ahead “will assist in retaining and attracting new employers and residents into the area” and “enhance the neighbourhood offer for businesses, students and the emerging residential community”. A new square could be used for events and other activities.
However Starship, the firm behind the scheme, has now told Wirral Council it wants to make changes to the project which would likely require further planning permission. Planning permission was previously granted in 2019.
The council, in a report to be presented to councillors on January 19, said the changes would have implications for the local authority. As a result, the council has commissioned an independent CBRE report to make sure the council’s grant is legally compliant and assess whether the planned development is sustainable and financially viable.
The council’s grant is £1.75m and officers are asking at the meeting for the existing agreement to be replaced with a new one if certain conditions are met. The review will look at the impact of any proposed changes including project and construction costs, financial viability, market demand, and other factors.
However no final decision will be made by officers until the review is finished.
Alongside the changes to the project, Peel Waters also told the council there had been changes within their wider company structure. The council report said this meant further due diligence will now be needed.
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Starship has agreed draft terms for a loan of £1.6m which would support the project alongside council funding. However the local authority said the project is “dependent on Starship contributing its own resources to meet the overall costs”.
This is key as Wirral Council has to make sure any grant is legally compliant with the Subsidy Control Act. This means the benefits of any grant must outweigh the negatives.
If the review by CBRE finds the scheme is financially unviable, the council report said the local authority “would not reasonably and lawfully” be able to move the scheme forward and the project would not go ahead.