GRANDIOSE plans for New Brighton, including a hotel and year-round outdoor spa will be put before Wirral Council this week.

The outline planning application for phase two of Neptune Development's £42m proposals follow on from phase one - the redevelopment of the Floral Pavilion Theatre and the new town qquare with cafes and 37 apartments.

There have been changes to the scheme after a turbulent public enquiry last year, and now phase two contains no residential elements and the Marine Lake will remain on its existing site.

The details in the outline planning application have already been shared with all the statutory bodies and local groups who came forward during the public enquiry for the earlier scheme.

Rob Mason, Neptune's development director, said: "It has been a long process to get to this stage and we are delighted to be moving ahead with New Brighton. With the first phase about to begin and this planning submission, we hope we can finally bring about a new dawn for New Brighton."

Under the proposals the Marine Lake will be dredged to make it useable again and a new pontoon and sailing school facilities will be provided. The nearby Victorian shelters will also be refurbished.

West of the Marine Lake will be café bars fronting onto a new pedestrian plaza including a performance area.

The foodstore will be operated by Morrison's with its size reduced from the original plan for 85,000 sq ft to 64,000 sq ft.

It will sit within a two-storey building with leisure and commercial use on the upper level and could be used for bingo, a casino, or a snooker club.

A six-screen, 1,100-seater cinema will sit alongside the supermarket as well as a 60-bed budget hotel and year-round lido.

A new model boating lake, exactly the same size as the existing facility with its own dedicated parking will complete the proposals.

New Brighton councillor Pat Hackett said that there are still hurdles to overcome but praised residents for their tenacity, vision, foresight and leadership in reviving the resort's fortunes.

"These plans have been 6 years in the making but I do passionately believe as D-Day approaches that we are going to deliver a magnificent scheme for the people of New Brighton, the Wirral and the many visitors that we will welcome," he said.

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