Village belong to Wirral Waters dementia not ‘before’ – Birkenhead News

A £20m Wirral Waters development is no longer going as planned. Belong Village was intended to be one of the first major developments in what is planned to be the UK’s biggest regeneration project.

Wirral Waters said it was “obviously disappointed that it is not going ahead as planned” but is already in advanced negotiations with another supplier.

Belong Wirral Dementia Village has promised 34 independent living apartments off Dock Road in a bid to create a dementia-friendly neighborhood with plans for a bistro, hair salon, exercise studio, entertainment venue and roof garden.

It has been described as a “landmark project” and “a key component of the diverse neighborhood (Peel Waters) is creating”.

However, non-profit dementia specialist Belong confirmed it had to pull out of the scheme, citing problems in the economy, the ongoing impact of the pandemic, as well as a lack of public transport in the area.

The scheme had already received planning permission from Wirral Council and initial work on the site was due to start in 2022. However, Wirral Waters has been contacted for comment after a letter from Richard Mawdsley, director of development at Wirral Waters, raised concerns about the council’s approach to regeneration. .

The letter was sent ahead of a meeting where the local authority unanimously decided to scrap the Maritime Knowledge Center and referred to a number of future projects including the “former Belong site” when calling for a closer relationship with councillors.

Martin Rix, CEO of Belong, said: “Since Belong first engaged Peel Waters in relation to the development of Belong Wirral Waters, much has changed in the wider economic context and operating environment, including the impact of the pandemic, which has led us to review our plans to develop a new care village. in Birkenhead, which we completed last year.

“The delay in wider supporting infrastructure remains a concern and, despite progress at Wirral Waters, the lack of public transport to the site has major implications for Belong as an employer.

“Each of our care villages has around 140 staff, most of whom commute by public transport. It is therefore vital that we trust that the infrastructure is in place to enable us to maintain our track record of attracting high quality recruits to our team who are so vital to the success of each Belong village in delivering high quality care.

“We wish Peel well with the development of Wirral Waters, which we will continue closely as an exciting and visionary regeneration project in the region.”

Richard Mawdsley, Development Director at Wirral Waters said:
“We are obviously disappointed not to be moving forward as planned with Belong and have welcomed their expertise in creating dementia-friendly communities.

“The project has already obtained planning permission and much of the site preparation has been completed. We are now in advanced negotiations with another partner to deliver the project and are committed to completing the Northbank neighborhood as planned – creating a new diverse and inclusive community.”

At the regeneration committee meeting on July 16, Cllr Jo Bird said one of the common issues around Wirral Waters and Northside in Seacombe was the lack of public transport. In response, council officers said they were considering using a Belfast Glider as part of mass transport plans, including at Seacombe ferry terminal, but funding discussions were ongoing.

An update of the local authority’s mass transport plans for the Wirral Waters is expected to be published in autumn 2024.

Image: Artist’s impression of what the site might have looked like. Credit Wirral Waters

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