WIRRAL and MDC has lost the Battle of Trafalgar for a Ro Ro ferry terminal on Birkenhead's waterfront - but not the war!

That's the message from a disappointed Chris Farrow, chief executive of Merseyside Development Corporation.

The Ro Ro ferry plan is 'scuttled' by the refusal of the Objective One Monitoring Committee to give Forth Ports a £4m grant. Now Mersey Docks's rival ferry plan for Trafalgar Dock looks a likely favourite to succeed.

"However, work on the 11 hectare International Technology Campus at 12 Quays has already begun. This £40m development will create in the region of 2000 jobs and attract further investment," says Mr Farrow. See our illustration of 12 Quays Campus and proposed Ro Ro Ferry.

Mr Farrow added: "The Ro Ro site is now subject of a bid by Wirral Council for the Imperial War Museum of the North. This site is one of two shortlisted. It was at their request that should our Ro Ro bid not proceed they be offered the site at 12 Quays."

A decision on the war museum site between 12 Quays and Trafford Park is expected by February 13. Howard Mortimer, of Wirral Council special projects team, is also expecting to hear, any day now, from the Millennium Commission if the New Brighton Tower Tesseract Park bid has been shortlisted.

Meanwhile, 12 Quays, with its waterfront site and historic warships - including the World War 11 U Boat - is emerging as the favourite location. No one is saying so, for fear of tempting fate.

Another final twist could be MDHC's Trafalgar Dock Ro Ro ferry plan ending up at Clarence Dock on land MDC wants developed. MDC made environmental objections to Trafalgar Dock.

By Robin Bird

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