Call for council to "get a grip" of New Ferry, three years after blast

The blast injured 81 people, destroyed six businesses and made 86 people homeless.

It turned the Wirral town upside down.

One may be forgiven for thinking that after all this time has passed, a town in the sixth richest country in the world would have been righted by now.

But speaking to local campaigners and councillors it is clear that this is not the case.

Cllr Phil Gilchrist, who represents nearby Eastham, said Wirral Council needs to "get a grip" of the situation.

The leader of the council's Lib Dem group said: "All that can be seen, almost three years [after the blast], is fenced off sites.

"The council now needs to get a grip of the landowners and push the redevelopment on.

"I've been pushing for compulsory purchase of the sites for some time now."

Cllr Gilchrist has asked regular questions about New Ferry at council meetings for the last six months.

He is calling for urgent progress on compulsory purchases – a process in which official bodies obtain land or property without the consent of the owner.

He added: "People need to see something happening, soon.

"Even placing hoardings round the sites with sketch plans painted on them would show that progress is possible.

"The [council's] Local Plan suggests that it could be 2026 by the time new buildings are going up.

"It must be possible to get some sites under way long before then.”

Campaigners are still waiting for significant progress on efforts to regenerate the area around the blast site.

Christopher Lee-Power, from the Justice for New Ferry group, said: "I want any new shops over the road [near the explosion site] to complement the architecture of Port Sunlight.

"Since the blast, New Ferry and Port Sunlight have come together and united as one.

"The blast site is still a stain on the area.

"If they just level it and put down some concrete, that would be great.

"Three years on, we're still looking at empty shops.

"Over the road I look at empty and falling apart shops.

"If it is going to take years to rebuild them, they need to be wrapped.

"The [council] could put artwork on them."

What’s being done to help the town?

Over time, Wirral Council has announced numerous funds and schemes to improve the area.

The council thinks the results of this are beginning to show.

Wirral Council's key fund is a £1.3m investment to pay for purchases of land and properties in a bid to regenerate the area.

This will help to create three sites for residential and mixed-use development – which could include both shops and apartments.

Wirral Council said this will bring in new residents and generate increased footfall to the centre, creating a 'flagship' new retail centre able to meet current and emerging consumer tastes.

The council is in the process of applying for outline planning consent for these sites.

In addition to this, New Ferry will get half of Wirral's £1m town centres fund from the Liverpool City Region.

With this, Wirral Council wants to develop a New Ferry Community Land Trust (CLT).

This is a development Justice for New Ferry has called for and will pay for suitable premises for the CLT to operate from.

It is hoped the premises can also be brought back into use for houses and retail sites, rather than purely being used as an office for the trust.

The council hopes this will provide a sustainable income for the CLT, which can be further re-invested in the area over time.

There is one more source of council funding.

This is targeted specifically at community groups who want to help regenerate the area near the blast.

Community groups can apply for up to £5,000 worth of funding for specific projects which can enhance the local area.

A total of £19,000 has been made available for this and you must apply by February 21 to be in with a chance of securing the money.

In the time since the explosion, many people have argued the council has made many statements, but little action has resulted from them.

A spokesperson for Wirral Council pointed to specific examples where it is making progress on the regeneration effort and insisted the council was fully committed to reviving New Ferry after the explosion.

The spokesperson said: "This week the Council has been able to acquire the freehold of 41-43 Bebington Road, the site of the explosion.

"Up to this point it has been in private ownership and the council was unable to do anything on this site.

"Now the council will shortly be tendering for works to enable the land to be used for meanwhile uses by the community until construction work takes place.

"These works will also include the demolition of the unsightly and derelict buildings, 68-72 Bebington Road which the council has also been able to now buy.

"In addition the council has been working on several initiatives to support the regeneration of New Ferry, which includes a regeneration masterplan, the Town Centre Fund and applying to the Government’s Future High Street Fund."

The spokesperson argued this proves the council's dedication to redeveloping New Ferry.

"The council is fully committed to the regeneration of New Ferry and has made available substantial sums of money to achieve this.

"Along with making the development of the town a key priority the authority has also worked closely with many in New Ferry to devise a regeneration plan which meets the needs of local people.

"As part of this the council has earmarked £1.3 million to acquire land and property to deliver the regeneration masterplan for New Ferry.

"At the moment the council is still negotiating with some landowners to acquire key sites by agreement, however, some property owners have unrealistic expectations regarding the value of their property.

"As this is public funds the council can only legally offer ‘market value’ plus a compensatory loss payment for the acquisition of property or land."