While Liverpool has undergone extensive regeneration in recent decades, nearby Birkenhead has to some extent remained in the shadows. Now, however, it seems that Birkenhead’s time may have come.

Birkenhead is located on the Wirral peninsula, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool. Although once a global industrial powerhouse, being a major shipping and shipbuilding centre, it’s not unfair to say that some parts have become rundown in recent decades. The economy is based on a much-reduced maritime sector, light industry, logistics and services. The Wirral Intelligence Service says Wirral’s economy provides 116,000 jobs for 156,000 economically active residents, meaning 40,000 people cannot be supported by the local economy.

Birkenhead has many of the fundamentals of a good regeneration location. It has good infrastructure already in place, low land and property values, a sizable workforce and numerous heritage assets.

Wirral Council has longstanding growth plans with regeneration activity being co-ordinated by the Wirral Growth Company, a 50-50 joint venture between Wirral Council and Muse Developments. Its remit is to create new opportunities for residents, increase private sector investment, deliver new homes, bring forward new development opportunities, improve the built environment and revitalise local communities.

More recently, Wirral Council has been formulating the Birkenhead 2040 Framework. This is a 20-year plan for what is described as transformational regeneration of Birkenhead, and the most radical since the end of WWII. It has eight major catalyst projects with the overall aim of providing 21,000 new homes and 6,000 jobs. At the heart of these projects is 900,000sqm of new commercial space in key locations including a new high quality and sustainable office quarter, and a new Birkenhead Market and town square.