Major development of a key riverside location at Woodside, Birkenhead, is set to take shape following a masterplanning and public consultation exercise.
Wirral Council is working with private-sector developers to drive regeneration of this landmark 12.6 hectare site, capitalising on Woodside’s magnificent views of the Liverpool waterfront and creating a high quality development mixing commercial buildings with leisure and residential uses.
Building Design Partnership was commissioned to create the masterplan for a once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity – focusing on high quality design and visual impact. Re-alignment of the A41 is seen as key to opening up Woodside and the wider area.
The first phase of the masterplan includes the creation of a ‘development spine’ running from the Woodside Ferry Terminal up to the historic Hamilton Square and its station. The link will not only include a range of new buildings suitable for mixed use development such as leisure, office and residential, but also be used to produce a series of public spaces and an enhanced public realm (paving, railings, seating, planting, etc) to strengthen the link from Wirral’s waterfront to its commercial and shopping areas.
One of the main aims is to develop a distinctive environment around Woodside that can draw on the waterfront and its unique views. It is envisaged that this will create an area comprising restaurants and bars, pavement cafes and other leisure ventures on the waterfront.
The development of a quality hotel is an important element of this package, as part of a strategy to attract a wider range of visitors to Birkenhead in the evening, both from elsewhere on the peninsula and the wider region.