Welcome to “Sunday Snippets” a weekly feature from birkenhead.news. It is a weekly round-up of our most popular stories from the last seven days. Click on each story to read the full article.
Former Liverpool FC CEO’s Wirral home sells for £2.35m
The home of former Liverpool FC CEO, Peter Moore, has sold for close to £2.35m. The impressive property in Noctorum, named “Axholme”, was the home of the Liverpool born British-American business executive who recently stepped down as CEO of Liverpool FC.
The property dates back to 1928 and was originally built for John Holt who founded the Holt shipping company, famous for its Blue Funnel Line ships. It lies within the boundary of the Oxton Conservation Area.
Wirral man Guy Bradshaw is the selling agent at Sotheby’s who handled the sale and he described the property as “…undoubtedly one of the best houses on the Wirral and as such, it was no surprise to us that it generated plenty of interest. We were delighted to achieve a figure very close to the asking price of £2.35m”
Port Sunlight Village Trust launches Lottery funded online exhibition
Port Sunlight Village Trust (PSVT) has launched their first online exhibition, Drawn Together, the final output of a partnership project to digitise and increase access to the original architectural drawings of Port Sunlight Village.
The project has been made possible through a Sharing Heritage grant distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Led by PSVT, the online exhibition brings together for the first-time collections from Unilever Art, Archives and Records Management (UARM), National Museums Liverpool (NML), Wirral Archive Services and Bolton Libraries and Museums Service.
Wirral Labour budget saves Williamson Gallery, Europa Pools and more
Wirral council’s Labour leadership has saved school crossing patrols, bin collections and the borough’s most prized leisure assets, following a full council meeting earlier this evening.
Due to pressures put on Wirral’s council budget due to central government funding cuts and the pressure from the extra expenditure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was cross-party concern that vital services may have had to been reduced or cut all together.
At this week’s full council meeting, Labour council leader Janette Williamson put forward a revised budget that received the cross-party support of the full council.
100km fundraiser for RNLI by West Kirby boys
Two West Kirby brothers, Jack and Orson Wakefield, completed an amazing challenge to run 100km in 28 days to raise funds for the RNLI and have raised over £1000 in the process!
Jack (11) and Orson (9) reached the ‘finishing line’ of this challenge yesterday morning outside of RNLI West Kirby’s station. A group of socially-distanced close family members and some crew cheered the boys as they completed this amazing fundraising effort.
They chose to support the RNLI because they live near to the sea and often see the volunteers at RNLI West Kirby Lifeboat in action. They chose the month of February to fundraise as it is the shortest and often the wettest month and this challenge provided them with a positive outlet during this time.
Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead to lead heritage renewal group in Birkenhead
A dynamic group of Birkenhead residents are coming together with Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead to try to ensure the town’s heritage becomes a driver of its future fortunes.
Lord Hall, who is chair of the National Gallery and former Director General of the BBC, will chair a steering group of local residents who can bring their expertise and networks to support the future of the town’s cultural and heritage assets.
Internationally acclaimed sculptor, Emma Rodgers, former head of National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, David Fleming and current Shadow Minister for Culture and Sport, Alison McGovern, who all live in the town, have all agreed to be part of resident launched The Birkenhead Group.
New Ferry cat missing for five days rescued from inside wall by RSPCA and MFRS
A cat that had been missing for five days was rescued by the RSPCA and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) after he had climbed into the chimney of a house and ended up in an internal wall.
The RSPCA was called to a house in Grove Square, New Ferry, Wirral, when a neighbour saw a cat on the roof of a nearby house.
Animal rescuer, inspector Helen Smith attended and could see the feline called Fluffy looking content. He was washing himself and made no attempt to get down.
Flyover removal and affordable homes at Birkenhead thanks to funding boost
A major Birkenhead regeneration scheme has taken another step forward thanks to an £8.3m investment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Transforming Cities Fund.
The Birkenhead Central Gateway project will see the removal of two flyovers in the Birkenhead Central station/Hind Street area and the re-alignment of the highway network to ensure routes into the town centre and the tunnel are maintained and improved.
This activity will then unlock the Hind Street brownfield site for housing and commercial development creating hundreds of new homes and make it a more attractive gateway into the town centre.
Birkenhead Market to move temporarily
Birkenhead’s historic market will remain at the heart of the town centre in its proposed new temporary location. Birkenhead Market’s traders are set to be moved temporarily while a new bespoke market building is constructed.
The council acquired the market in December 2018 to protect its long term future and is now putting the new market at the centre of its regeneration plans for Birkenhead which are being developed alongside the Wirral Growth Company, the 50:50 joint venture between Wirral Council and national urban regenerator Muse Developments.
Now the market could be moved just a few yards from its current location to ensure traders remain central to the town’s retail heart.
Wirral Grammar School for Girls celebrates World Book Day in style
Wirral Grammar School for Girls celebrated World Book Day yesterday and the pupils really embraced the challenges and enjoyed a break from their computer screens, to use their imagination and creativity.
To celebrate, a number of challenges were set for the pupils at the Bebington school, including fancy dress, painting, and baking competitions.
Headteacher, Mrs Cogan was proud of the pupils and said, “What a fantastic success World Book Day was! I’d like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Smith and all the staff who made this work.
Committee’s unanimous verdict on New Ferry CPO plans
Councillors on Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee last night rubber-stamped moves to speed up the acquisition of the remaining land and properties currently standing in the way of a major regeneration scheme of New Ferry.
Members of the committee unanimously accepted a recommendation that the Policy and Resources Committee should authorise council officers to begin the legal process that could lead to the last few sites remaining in private ownership to be acquired through Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs).
Officers remain keen to reach agreement with the owners of these properties without the need for the CPO process, but with outline planning permission in place for the redevelopment plans and the recent announcement of future high street funding to support the scheme, the authority, as a last resort is prepared to make use of its powers to enable the regeneration to proceed.
Ambitious plans agreed for Wirral landmark
A Wirral landmark is a step closer to being restored to its former glory and transformed into a specialist maritime centre under plans agreed by councillors.
The iconic 19th century Grade 2 listed Hydraulic Tower building, a copy of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, had been left unused for decades at the Four Bridges but is now moving ahead with being brought back to life as the Maritime Knowledge Hub.
The Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee agreed to recommend the Wirral Waters Investment Fund be approved for investment into the Maritime Knowledge Hub and another key Wirral Waters scheme, Egerton Village, which will include retail to support the emerging residential developments nearby plus a new square with an events programme as well as managed workspace and studios and potentially a restaurant.