SUPERMARKET giant Lidl is to hold a public exhibition next week to outline its plans for a new store on vacant land in Birkenhead.

Land at the junction of Oxton Road and Balls Road has been empty for many years and plans to regenerate the area have been hindered by complex land ownership issues.

Wirral Council has been working with all of the private sector land owners involved to resolve this situation which requires a series of land transfers.

Contracts have now been exchanged conditionally, subject to planning approval, following which the land transfers will be completed and the site can be brought forward for redevelopment.

Lidl has expressed an interest in developing this site and its plans will be on display at the Church Hall at the Wirral Christian Centre opposite the site next Wednesday, July 8 between 3pm and 7pm. 

It is part of a public consultation exercise Lidl is conducting before submitting a planning application.

If approved, the new store would create 40 full and part-time jobs.

A spokesperson for Lidl said: "Lidl has for a long time held an ambition to open a store in Birkenhead and are delighted to be in a position to announce our plans to develop a store on this key gateway site.

"We have been working on our exciting proposals to open a flagship store for the region and would like to invite members of the public to our consultation exhibition."

Councillor Phil Davies, leader of Wirral Council, said: "This is fantastic news that ties in perfectly with a number of my 'Wirral 2020' pledges; to secure an additional £250 million of inward investment into the area and create or safeguard 5,000 more jobs.

"This proposal will remove a prominent vacant site on a key gateway into Birkenhead and bring in private sector investment of £5million and create 40 full and part-time jobs in the area."