THE imaginative plan to embroider Birkenhead's historic Hamilton Square with a new look in time for the Millennium depends on whether it can be hand-stitched with a golden needle . . .

About £1 million - half of what is needed to carry out the transformation - has to come from an alternative funding source . . . the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The other half will be funded by The Hamilton Quarter, the single regeneration body initiative set up with Government cash to mastermind, and implement, the massive "re-birth" of that area bounded, broadly speaking, from Birkenhead docks (Shore Road) to Conway Street and from Woodside to Adelphi Street/Egerton Wharf.

"We are getting a bid together for this April and hope to hear from the Heritage Lottery Fund by Autumn," said Lindsay Price, Project Manager at The Hamilton Quarter.

"We are dependent on this funding, if the entire scheme is to go ahead on time."

Since it came into being in 1995, The Hamilton Quarter has been instrumental in restoring much of the sparkle to what is regarded as the jewel in Birkenhead's geographic crown; a surviving legacy of the town's earliest days.

Lying at the heart of the regeneration of the town, The Hamilton Quarter forms the centrepiece of what is commonly referred to as The Birkenhead Jigsaw. This comprises three other main pieces - Merseyside Development Corporation's Twelve Quays initiative to the north, the newly approved Lairdside project to the south, and the City Lands' Conway Park area to the west.

Included in the Hamilton Quarter's wide ranging list of proposals are housing/commercial, tourist and heritage schemes and retail/housing improvements.

Market Street, which only a few years ago stood testimony to the area's sad and dilapidated state, is today a glowing example of what is being achieved.

The street, which once thrived at the hub of the town's market day era, has been transformed into an attractive, trendy area which is fast becoming a thriving, and bustling, shopping and business magnet.

But pivotal to all the substantial changes that are taking place is Hamilton Square; in particular, the soon-to-be-announced proposals for how it will look come the Millennium . . .

In December, 1996, the Hamilton Quarter launched a competition to seek ideas on how Hamilton Square might be improved in the wake of proposals to reduce traffic flows and pedestrianise parts of Hamilton Street, including the area in front of the Town Hall.

The challenge, directed at architects and landscape architects, attracted nationwide interest. In all, 41 schemes were submitted and, following a public exhibition of shortlisted schemes last March, the judging panel opted for the design ideas of John Baird, a Partner at Ferguson McIlveen.

The winning scheme, incorporating minor amendments to address some concerns about security and the treatment of the area in front of the Town Hall, is featured on this page.

"From the outset, one of the main aims was to ensure that the Square's function as a 'green oasis' was maintained," explained Lindsay.

"The new design was also required to make it easy for pedestrians, cyclists and people with mobility difficulties to use the area and, at the same time, feel safe and secure.

"The new lighting should be imaginative, robust and give a good level of illumination."

Main features of the winning scheme are:-

Seasonal circular gardens at the four corners of the Square;

An attractive, tree-lined, paved area in front of the Town Hall with additional space around the War Memorial to accommodate Rememberance Day events;

A circular lawn with seating and bedding schemes around the perimeter;

Low hedging with ground level planting between the roadway and the gardens;

Additional short-stay parking around the Square;

Summer and Winter pavilions as focal points within their respective gardens, the Summer Pavilion containing a cafe;

High quality surfacing and street furniture to respect the historic character of the buildings in the Square.

"We have arrived at a scheme which is generally accepted as the best scheme," said Lindsay Price. "The final design is now being prepared and should be completed for public consultation this month.

"We expect consultations to last two or three months - and then we are dependent on another funding source other than our own . . ."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.