Wirral Council appointed The Regenda Group as its development partner in March 2022. Regenda is an experienced housing and regeneration organisation. It will deliver a redevelopment scheme in New Ferry over the next few years.
Three key sites, in the centre of New Ferry, will be developed in phases. One of these sites is now fully controlled by the council.
The council already has outline planning consent for residential and retail space. A detailed planning application will be made in Autumn 2022. This will outline Regenda’s proposals for the area.
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Background
Working closely with residents, community groups, elected members and other stakeholders, Wirral Council is driving forward with a regeneration plan for New Ferry.
Outline planning permission is already in place for the masterplan and it is hoped that by the summer 2021, a preferred development partner will have been appointed to take this project forward.
The plan incorporates a combination of residential and retail developments over three separate areas of land in the area.
One of the three areas earmarked for development is the site of the March 2017 gas explosion on Boundary Road, while another development will be opposite the explosion site where many existing retail and residential buildings were damaged beyond repair in that blast.
The third site incorporates a block of largely derelict and disused retail units along the main New Chester Road, as well as part of a council-owned car park on Woodhead Street that backs onto the explosion site.
In total, across the three sites the outline planning permission is for the building of up to 79 new residential units – a mixture of two and three-bedroom houses and one and two-bedroom apartments. There is also outline planning consent for more than 1,000 square metres of retail floorspace across the sites.
Timeline
- Confirmation of Future High Street Funding – December 2020
- Preferred developer identified – February 2022
- Commenced Compulsory Purchase Order – July 2022
- Detailed planning application submitted – October 2022
- Town centre highways improvements and car parking works – starting in Spring 2023 to the end of Summer 2023
- Confirmation of Compulsory Purchase Order – estimated to be December 2023 (subject to Legal process)
- Start of construction works on sites A, B and C will be phased - starting on Site C in Spring 2023 and will be completed by Spring 2026
Compulsory Purchase Orders
The majority of the land and property earmarked for redevelopment was in private ownership. The council has invested £1.3m so far in an acquisition programme to bring these sites into council possession so it can bring in a development partner.
However, there remains a small number of properties where agreement has not yet been reached on the transfer of ownership. For that reason, Wirral Council is putting in place legal processes to pursue Compulsory Purchase Orders on these remaining sites if necessary in order to advance redevelopment as quickly as possible.
Compulsory Purchase order process
Wirral Council made the Compulsory Purchase Order and will shortly be sending this to the Secretary of State for confirmation. The sealed order and plan are below.
The PDF files below may not be suitable to view for people with disabilities, users of assistive technology or mobile phone devices. If you need an accessible copy of any of these documents please email leeparker@wirral.gov.uk.
Compulsory Purchase Order documents
- Sealed order for the New Ferry Compulsory Purchase Orders 2022 (PDF 8MB)
- Sealed plan for the New Ferry Compulsory Purchase Orders 202 2 (PDF 1MB)
Planning application documents
- Decision Notice Letter for planning application DPP3_20_00415 Woodhead Street car park and land off New Chester Road New Ferry (PDF 536KB)
- Decision Notice Letter for planning application DPP3_20_00418 Land at (Car park Grove Street) Bebington Road New Ferry (PDF 587KB)
- Decision Notice Letter for application DPP3_20_00420 Land at former 41-43 Bebington Road New Ferry (PDF 586KB)
Committee reports
- Appendix 2, New Ferry – Implementing The Regeneration Plan. Report to the Economy Regeneration and Development Committee Thursday 4 March 2021 (PDF 153KB)
- Appendix 2, New Ferry – Implementing The Regeneration Plan. Report to the Policy and Resources Committee on 17 March 2021(PDF 88KB)
- Appendix 2.1 - table and plan of land and properties to be acquired under the New Ferry 2022 Compulsory Purchase Order. Report to Policy and Resources Committee on 17 March 2021 (PDF 555KB)
- Appendix 2.2 Draft skeleton Statement of Reasons. Report to the Policy and Resources Committee on 17 March 2021 (PDF 219KB)
- Appendix 2.3 Preferred Development Option Plan. Report to the Policy and Resources Committee on 17 March 2021 (PDF 347KB)
Future High Streets fund
Wirral Council was successful in a bid to the government’s Future High Streets fund to support and underpin the wider New Ferry regeneration masterplan. The area has been allocated £3.2m from the fund which will be spent on public realm and highway improvements in support of the regeneration plans.
It includes a scheme to partially reopen the currently pedestrianised Bebington Road to traffic and take away the barriers at the junction with School Lane so through traffic from the main New Chester Road would have access to the Village Hall and parking spaces within the retail centre of Bebington Road, as well as the new residential developments.
Short-stay parking bays may be incorporated into the highway improvements on Bebington Road to encourage further footfall to the businesses there and provide an improved appearance, with new benches, street lighting and landscaping. This would make the centre more attractive and accessible for occupiers, visitors and residents.
Community Land Trust
The vision of the New Ferry Community Land Trust (CLT) is to bring buildings that are currently empty back into use. In the district centre, this would ideally see ground floors in use as retail, leisure, community or exhibition spaces. Upper floors would also be used, with the ideal solution being affordable housing for people who cannot currently find homes. Find out more about the New Ferry Community Land Trust