A PROJECT to regenerate a large brownfield site in Bromborough has won a national design award.

Wirral Council’s development management team have been collaborating with Ainsley Gommon Architects with their work being recognised at the National Planning and Placemaking Awards.

They have been working to transform the former Prices Candles factory site.

Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Phil Davies said: “We work closely with the private sector to deliver employment and housing schemes with a high quality of design to shape our communities for the future.

“Prior to the Lever Brothers’ famous development at Port Sunlight, Wirral already had another model village, built by industrialists with a strong social focus to house workers.

“The new development will combine high quality housing and industrial units, as well as open up access to a stretch of the Mersey riverfront that has been closed for decades.

“Regenerating areas like Bromborough Pool is central to our council plan for 2020, and I congratulate Ainsley Gommon Architects and our own officers for their hard work on this.”

Their design won the award in the ‘Placemaking on Brownfield Land’ category.

Originally constructed in 1853 and a key influence on the Lever Brothers’ Port Sunlight village, the building formerly housed workers within a 60 acre purpose-built walled and gated community.

The new plan has already seen much of the site cleared and decontaminated and includes an attractive waterfront open to the public with a combined riverside walk and cycleway.

Alf Plant, director at Ainsley Gommon Architects said: “Ainsley Gommon Architects has been working on Bromborough Pool Village and its surroundings since 1988.

“Our main client International Process Plants saw the potential in the site and in addition to the master plan proposals worked up on their behalf, they also insured that specialist equipment which is usually scrapped, has been distributed for reuse around the region, Europe and the World, safeguarding natural resources and jobs.

“This prestigious award marks the culmination of all this work and will bring the former candle factory site back into use for new housing, recreational space and employment whilst conserving some of the key historic features of the site.”

The iconic 19th century clock tower will also be restored, and Belfast steel-fabrication company Capital Reinforcing have re-located from their Northern Ireland base to new premises on the site.

Tom Nash from International Process Plants said: “I’d like to thank the entire professional team for their input into the scheme and the Wirral planning department for supporting our vision.

“Good quality brownfield development should always be preferable and the reuse of the specialist process plant and machinery completes the highly sustainable nature of this project.”