Peel Holdings are behind the ‘Wirral Waters’ scheme, which will see some 400,000 sq ft of new office space made available in the north-west of England and will bring in around £4.5 billion worth of new investment.
Construction on the 500-acre site could take as long as 30 years but it will employ tens of thousands of local people during that time and could represent the most significant construction project in the area since the Laird Shipyard was built more than 150 years ago.
“This is a great day for Wirral,” said local councillor Andrew Hodson, cabinet member for regeneration and planning strategy.
“The approval of this planning application will lead to the total transformation of what is currently derelict brownfield land within East Float at Birkenhead Docks and when finished will create over 27,000 jobs.”
If the government gives its backing to the project then a number of new high-rise office space buildings will soon form part of the Wirral’s skyline and the aim of developers is to create rejuvenated docklands equal to any in the world.
Wirral Waters is part of a more general scheme dubbed the ‘Ocean Gateway’ project by the Peel Group, which is behind the plans and is aiming to see £50 billion invested in a variety of major construction efforts along the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal corridor.
Editor’s notes: Described by the Peel Group as “the largest and most exciting regeneration project in the UK”, the 500-acre scheme encompasses 25 miles of coastline and 1,500 native trees will be planted as part of the project.
In 2023, it was estimated that 20,000 permanent jobs will be created upon completion and the scheme will also deliver 13,000 new homes.
Projects within the scheme include Egerton Village mixed-use space, Millers Quay residential space, the mixed-use Maritime Knowledge Hub and the Hythe office building that completed in 2021.
The 25,000 square foot Hythe is named after the Old English for ‘a landing place or small harbour for ships or boats’ and was the first Grade A office building to be speculatively developed speculatively on the Wirral for over 10 years and boasts a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for sustainability and WiredScore ‘Platinum’ for digital connectivity.
In April 2023, office space for rent at the Hythe building was being marketed at £16.50 per square foot per annum.