Brand New Brighton

Located in the Wirral and situated at the mouth of the Mersey, the town of New Brighton is a tranquil and  beautiful town. With an excellent beach and promenade, as well as great views both across the Mersey and the Irish Sea, New Brighton has been the preferred getaway location for those wanting to escape from the urban life of neighbouring Liverpool. Throughout the golden days of British holidaying, New Brighton’s beach front became a location of choice for people in the North West to come to relax and enjoy themselves.

Of course, times have changed and with the increase in foreign travel, the town’s prominence as a holiday location has dwindled considerably. Yet New Brighton has continued to grow in strength as a location for businesses, and recently has even seen a small resurgence in holiday makers. Now the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) plan to help boost New Brighton’s status by providing £3.9m in funding towards a range of redevelopment plans  for the town.

The investment given by the NWDA will enable Neptune Developments and Wirral Council to move forward with a new phase of the Brand New Brighton scheme. Costing a total of around £33.6m, these works will deliver a variety of new developments and improvements to the area, including a mixed-use development along the town’s waterfront and a range of new retail and leisure amenities.

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, outlined the importance of this redevelopment project in the context of the area: “Brand New Brighton is the largest single transformational project in the wider Mersey Waterfront Regional Park initiative and a significant signature project for the Liverpool city-region.”

The new phase of the project will see the creation of 20,667 sqm of retail and leisure floor space which is expected to attract new business to the area. In turn this is expected to create in excess of 700 new jobs for the area.

Other elements to be included as part of the Brand New Brighton project include the development of a major foodstore and hotel, upgrades to the marine lake and sailing school facilities, construction of an outdoor lido as well as other commercial and leisure facilities including a cinema, fitness centre, and restaurants.

The NWDA’s investment in the redevelopment in the town will help support the required land remediation as well as deliver a series of public realm improvements across a 14 hectare stretch of the sea front. Improvements will include a new model boating lake and car parking provision and a high quality promenade with improved lighting and seating.

This phase of regeneration works will build on the success of an initial programme of work which saw an £11m renovation of the Floral Pavilion theatre and conference centre, which has completed in the spring of 2009. This too was in part thanks to investment by the NWDA, as part of its Mersey Waterfront Programme, and has since helped bring benefits to both business and the local community.

“This investment by the NWDA is fantastic news for Wirral and is a demonstration of the Agency’s commitment to the regeneration of New Brighton. Phase One has delivered real benefits to the town already via the Floral Pavilion and I’m looking forward to phase two and the exciting opportunities it will bring,” said Wirral Council Leader, Cllr Steve Foulkes.

The investment that has been promised for New Brighton will give a huge boost to the town. Yet it will also demonstrate the pride taken in the area as well as prove that there is still a great deal of value to be had in the Merseyside area. Through the new business and leisure opportunities that will be created, New Brighton will only go from strength to strength.

To find out about development in New Brighton contact Sarah Moston on Tel: 01925 400552 or email: Sarah.Moston@nwda.co.uk