Former House of Fraser in Birkenhead to be demolished to make way for new market
84 flats would also be built on the site under new plans
A former House of Fraser building in Birkenhead and town centre car park will be demolished to make way for a new market and 84 flats.
Wirral Council has approved a demolition plan on the site to make way for its new £28m market as well as the new apartments. The local authority purchased the land on Grange Road as well as a car park off Argyle Street in December 2020 with both schemes are expected to be delivered by 2025.
This comes as the new market plans went out to public consultation in March with the feedback currently under review. A planning application for the new market will be submitted later this year.
The new market will be “complete with independent retail, food and beverage stalls and new accessible public realm spaces linked into St Werburgh’s Square and Oliver Street East” and “re-captures the spirit of the historic market so it once again becomes a thriving hub of activity and commerce.”
Details on what the housing scheme will look like have not been confirmed yet as a future developer partner will formalise the plans over the next year but the new flats will be built on the car park site according to a previously undisclosed Wirral Council report.
The report, now public after a regeneration committee meeting in March, said the new housing would “facilitate a high quality, mixed tenure development,” be distinctive, and provide “a safe, secure and pleasant environment; minimising opportunities for anti-social behaviour.”
The re-development of the House of Fraser site is part of the council’s plans to completely regenerate the town by 2040. This includes a massive new development proposed near Birkenhead Central station, Wirral Waters, a revamp of the waterfront, new office space, as well as a brand new park along an old railway line.
Chair of Wirral Council’s economy, regeneration and development committee, Cllr Tony Jones, previously said “a key part of our redevelopment plans for Birkenhead town centre has always been the market.” adding the new homes and market “provides the opportunity to increase footfall to the town, supporting traders and local businesses.”
Birkenhead Market is currently located behind the Pyramids Shopping Centre in the centre of the town and still remains open. However traders said they had seen a huge drop in footfall in recent months, and some said people thought it had already closed.
Recently the local authority bought the Pyramids and Grange Shopping Centres after they were put up for sale as part of these plans. This was funded through council borrowing and the purchase means the council now owns a large chunk of the town’s shopping district.