On the 29th October, prominent business leaders within the construction and property industry will come together for the Liverpool City Region Development Plans Conference – one of the region’s largest business events of the year within the construction sector. The conference will see some of the region’s biggest names in business lead a regional discussion including presentations of ongoing or proposed development plans in the area and plans for the region’s future.

Richard Mawdsley, Development Director at Peel Land and Property Group, is one of those confirmed as a speaker at the conference. He has the responsibility of delivering the Wirral Waters project – and with over 25 years experience working in property development and regeneration it’s clear to see why he’s been chosen to manage the exciting project.

Peel Land and Property Group have central to two massive projects in the North West. Wirral Waters and Liverpool Waters form part of the Mersey Waters Enterprise Zone – two schemes which are very different in terms of geographies and administrations. Liverpool Waters is a natural extension of the City Centre and there seems to be real positive vibe emerging as developments take shape in Princes Dock. It’s much more challenging to do something on the Wirral side of the water due to ‘decades of decline’, and a lack of confidence and very fragile market conditions but from a macro-economic perspective there’s no reason for this to be the case.

The regeneration of Wirral Waters is the project which Richard is acting as Development Director for. The scheme will:

  • Create 20,000 new jobs
  • Enable the delivery of 13,000 new homes
  • Deliver economic growth through 20 million sq ft of mixed use floor space

Real progress has been made on the Wirral Waters project as issues have been tackled, with millions being spent on remediating sites, investing in infrastructure and dealing with market failure through a cocktail of funding mechanisms. Wirral Met’s new construction campus – developed by Peel in partnership with the College – is one of the first buildings to have come out of the ground, but it’s very much the start in what’s set to be a huge transformational project for the area.

Peel Land and Property Group have been working hard with central Government to secure the tools to help deliver the project and unlock the phenomenal economic growth potential of the site – including Enterprise Zone status and Housing Zone status. The Wirral Waters Investment Fund will help to fund gaps within projects which would benefit the site or the region as a whole, whilst collaboration with the local authorities and Government has also been key in preparing the development.

The project is now into the delivery and marketing process – with phase one underway. The initial development will be in Tower Road, Northbank and MEA Park which is now beginning to take shape. Some of the key projects which will be coming to the Wirral Waters site are:

  • No 1 Tower Road South – this will be available as a single building or in suites. Designed by award winning architects Glenn Howells Architects the office will be crica 25,000 sq ft over four stories.
  • Egerton Village – a new amenity village on the banks of the East Float docks that provides local amenity for existing and new residents, students and workers that are starting to populate the Four Bridges and Northbank East. The scheme can also provide a much needed hub for the artistic and creative industries of Wirral. Following a competition to design the scheme OMI were announced as the architects. The project will include some retail space, a new square with an events programme, managed workspace and studios and a restaurant.
  • Maritime Knowledge Hub – set to be developed at the Grade II listed Hydraulic Tower it will focus on the maritime sector, providing up to 60,000 sq ft of new office, incubation, teaching, R&D and cultural space. It will also provide a tank for an Offshore Survival Training Centre. Partnering Peel on the project are Liverpool John Moores University, Mersey Maritime and Wirral MBC
  • Marine, Energy and Automotive Park (MEA Park) – a new multi-unit, 1 million sq ft waterside manufacturing, logistics, R&D and assembly campus to support the marine, maritime and energy sectors. A renewable Energy Centre will deliver a 6MW biomass energy centre to serve MEA Park, potentially the Wirral Street project and the wider neighbourhoods. Partnering Peel are Cammell Laird and Wirral Council.
  • Dementia Care Village – a state-of-the-art dementia care village including housing and amenities such as a bistro, specialist gym, hair salon and function rooms.

We’re excited to hear more about the projects which Peel are bringing forward to Merseyside. Join us to network and hear about their plans at the Liverpool City Region Development Plans Conference.