Multi-million pound venture for Bromborough Pool (From Wirral Globe)

Multi-million pound venture for Bromborough Pool

1:39pm Monday 17th September 2012 in News By Geoff Barnes

Multi-million pound plans are in the pipeline to enhance a Wirral conservation area and former model village.

The plans centre on Bromborough Pool Village and include commercial and housing development and a riverside restoration scheme.

The Village, developed in 1854 to provide homes for workers at the local candle factory, has a history of more than150 years of industrial use.

That link was finally broken when the site closed in 2009 with the loss of 115 jobs. Croda who bought the site in 2006/7 attempted to sell the site as a going concern but attracted no interest.

Now Dibbin Estates and Equipment Ltd plan a mixed development of the site representing a £35m investment in the area.

Planners claim the scheme would regenerate the site to provide modern employment land suitable for today's business requirements.

It proposes the building of more than 162 new homes, a range of new industrial units and anew internal road layout. It will also include new footpaths, cycle routes and a riverside walk; new tree planting, open space, river restoration scheme and retention of a listed building.

The project, planners say, would make a significant contribution to reducing local unemployment with the majority of jobs likely to provide year-round work across a range of skill levels.

In a report to this week’s meeting of Wirral planning committee state: “The proposal for further residential development opposite Bromborough Pool Conservation Area will assist in extending new life and vibrancy into the village.

Consultations with the local community resulted in almost 90% supporting the redevelopment and the same number backing the inclusion of new homes and the creation of a riverside walk.

Planners indicated in the report that because of its industrial past the site was “likely to have elevated concentrations of contamination.” But the Environment Agency have confirmed that they were satisfied that options were available to deal with the risks.

The proposal for residential development on part of the site would be a departure from the local authority development plan.

But planners claim that the benefits from removing the old disused factory, the cleaning up of the site and securing modern industrial units with the prospect of creating jobs in an are of high unemployment weighed in favour of granting planning permission.

The planning committee will meet on Thursday and have been recommended to show the green light to the application.