Wirral Waters

Peel's release:

4th August 2010
Wirral Waters is Granted Planning Permission!
Summary
Last night an historical decision was reached by Wirral Council Planning
Committee who granted planning permission for Wirral Waters.
Article
Wirral Council Planning Committee has reached a positive decision to grant Planning
Permission for Wirral Waters, the largest urban regeneration project in the UK. This
will represent an investment in Wirral of over £4.5 Billion and the promise of over
20,000 new jobs over 30 years.
Members of the Peel design team were in the audience of the public meeting which
started at 6pm in the Committee Room at Wallasey Town Hall. All Planning
Committee Councillors were present, along with Wirral Council Planning and
Development Control Team, and the room rapidly filled up with members of the
public and media representatives.
Joanne Storey - the case officer - and colleagues gave a thorough presentation of
the scheme, showing how it has evolved over the past 4 years and been shaped
through true 'partnership working'. She explained the mixed use nature of the
project, its regenerative benefits, Peel's approach to sustainability plus how the
different 'quarter' areas - education, culture, residential etc - function and work as a
composite whole.
The Committee were also specifically briefed on some of the most important issues
connected with the scheme, namely affordable housing, planning mechanisms, S106
agreements, traffic and transport, land uses and jobs, by Richard Lewis, John
Entwistle and Keith Rogers.
Three stunning new images of the Wirral Waters scheme created by Rust Design
were displayed during the Committee. These beautiful artists' impressions serve to
give an idea of how the scheme may take shape and how it is to be centred around
water creating a unique place and lifestyle.
Peel Land & Property comprises a UK property investment and land portfolio of 836,000 sq m (9 million sq.ft) of
investment property and over 11,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land as well as overseas investments in Bermuda,
the Bahamas and Spain. With a track record for quality and regeneration, high profile developments encompass The
Trafford Centre, MediaCityUK, Gloucester Quays and the visionary Liverpool and Wirral Waters £10 billion
regeneration schemes.
Councillors raised lots of questions following publication of the 250 page Committee
Report. These included Cllr Denise Realey's queries on how the scheme would
guarantee jobs for local people, whilst other members of the Committee including
Councillor George Davies - who drew parallels with Peel's 'transformational' Salford
Quays project, Cllr Gilchrist and Cllr Hodgson, raised wide ranging issues included
'referral', housing delivery, CABE, water-supply and building heights. Cllr Roberts
spoke wholeheartedly on the positives this scheme will bring to the local community.
Phrases including "we cannot live in the past", and "we have one chance, and should
grasp it with both hands" were expressly voiced. Referring to Sir Kenneth Clark's
'Civilisation' series, the scheme and approach positively resonated with one Cllr for
its 'heroic materialism'.
All four local MPs - Frank Field, Esther McVey, Angela Eagle and Alison McGovern -
wrote letters of support for Wirral Waters, which were read out during the Committee
Meeting.
The Committee meeting lasted around two hours, and culminated in a unanimous
showing of hands giving Wirral Waters the green light. The whole room erupted into a
spontaneous round of applause and there was a general feeling of relief mixed with
joy and hope.
Lindsey Ashworth, Peel Development Director, commented after the vote: "I am so
happy I could cry with joy! We are absolutely delighted that Wirral Planning
Committee has reached this positive decision, it is what the public wanted and what
the area is crying out for. This is an historic day for the future of Wirral and the entire
City Region".
Richard Mawdsley, Development Manager at Peel said "Tonight's endorsement by
Wirral Council is a huge milestone for Wirral Waters. We are delighted with the
result. The positive and unanimous outcome is a testament to true collaboration. A
lot of hard work has taken place by a very large number of groups, organisations and
individuals. The Committee's decision is a massive step-forward towards the delivery
of what is a truly shared Vision - and one that can only improve the economic
prospects of future generations. With this result we can be hopeful that WW's won't
be called in however we can never be sure".
Peel Land & Property comprises a UK property investment and land portfolio of 836,000 sq m (9 million sq.ft) of
investment property and over 11,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land as well as overseas investments in Bermuda,
the Bahamas and Spain. With a track record for quality and regeneration, high profile developments encompass The
Trafford Centre, MediaCityUK, Gloucester Quays and the visionary Liverpool and Wirral Waters £10 billion
regeneration schemes.
The next step in the planning process will be for Wirral Council to refer the project to
Government Office Northwest. This is a legal requirement and will serve to see
whether the project goes to a Public Inquiry. It is hoped by Peel that this will be
unnecessary given the massive amount of support and goodwill the project has
engendered, but also because of the new government "localism" agenda where it
wants decisions that will affect local communities to be made by the local
communities.
Once Government Office Northwest give their seal of approval, the Peel Group will
be able to forge ahead and embark on the marketing phase of the project. This will
involve branding and place-making and will involve a marketing team plus inward
investment agencies including Wirral Council, the NWDA and The Mersey
Partnership. Peel will be promoting the project on the international stage including
the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Richard Mawdsley said: "After 3 years of 'planning
process' and assuming no call-in, we can move into the 'marketing phase' of the
project. Big, catalytic occupiers - whether cultural, educational or commercial - are
only interested with a consent in place".
Peel hope to start on site as soon as the recession allows. Lindsey Ashworth
considers as a 'best guess' that this will be during 2012.
End.
Editors notes:
Wirral Waters is one half of Peel Waters; two complimentary and balanced waterside projects
on either side of the River Mersey. It is THE largest and most visionary regeneration project in
the UK. And most importantly, it is an opportunity for Wirral to enter a new stage in its
evolution.
The scheme is 'jobs' driven. Wirral Waters seeks to create well over 20,000 permanent new
jobs in Wirral, for Wirral and we need your help to make this possible. The scheme will also
help create skills and apprenticeships for young people, giving them a future on their
doorstep.
Wirral Waters will transform the derelict docks in Birkenhead into a world class waterfront that
is alive with activity, animating the water with both leisure and industrial craft.
Peel Land & Property comprises a UK property investment and land portfolio of 836,000 sq m (9 million sq.ft) of
investment property and over 11,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land as well as overseas investments in Bermuda,
the Bahamas and Spain. With a track record for quality and regeneration, high profile developments encompass The
Trafford Centre, MediaCityUK, Gloucester Quays and the visionary Liverpool and Wirral Waters £10 billion
regeneration schemes.
The project is privately funded and led by a developer with a proven track record of delivery.
Peel are seeking to bring investment to the heart of the City Region over the next 3 decades -
with public and private sector working together we will beat the recession.
www.wirralwaters.co.uk