Birkenhead has been the beating industrial heart of Wirral for hundreds of years.
The ferries across the Mersey aided to build a bridge to business in Liverpool since the 1300s and the first underground train line in the world - built in 1886 - supported huge growth along the east coast of the peninsula making Birkenhead part of the "New York of Europe".
And this boom continued right into the 1960s when unemployment levels in Wirral were just 2.5%.
But what followed was well-documented decades of decline and neglect and a difficult time for Birkenhead as its heritage and identity became lost in a sea of unemployment and stagnant growth.
By 1993 unemployment in Birkenhead was as high as 35% - with unemployment among men at 52%.
This week, Wirral Council unveiled its latest plans for the town called the Birkenhead 2040 Framework, an ambitious attempt to address the rows of empty shops, lack of interconnectivity and celebrating its rich heritage.
What do you think Birkenhead needs to improve the area? Let us know in the comments below
The extensive masterplan aims to deliver 21,000 new homes over the next 20 years including 1,000 houses in the new Hind Street Graden village once the flyovers are demolished and nearly 1m sqm of commercial space including a new building for the historic market.
There are also hopes for a mass transit system to help improve how people can move around Birkenhead without a car and plans for 'Dock Branch Park' a new open green space along the old train line.
Some of the work is already underway at Wirral Waters and the demolition at Milton Pavements is on track, but why has it taken so long to get here and why have we got to the point where Birkenhead town centre and its surrounding areas need so much investment?
'Birkenhead is one of the most deprived towns in the country'
Birkenhead's Labour MP Mick Whitley believes it is a direct result of economic decline "sponsored by a Conservative government".
He told the ECHO: "It is no secret that Birkenhead is one of the most deprived towns in the country. We have two of the poorest wards in the entire country in Bidston and St James and Rock Ferry. Our unemployment levels and our claimant count are above average.
"Why is this? I do not believe that it the Council’s fault at all. For years Wirral Borough Council has been hit by massive cuts in its budget and this is a direct result of a political decision by the Conservative governments of the last eleven years to impose austerity.
"As to the decline of Cammell Laird and other industries in our town, this wasn’t a result of some mysterious process that no one could control. It was part and parcel of a strategy by Margaret Thatcher to deindustrialise Britain as far as possible, relocate industries to areas where labour was cheap and undermine the trade unions."
But it is not as simple for Birkenhead ward councillor Pat Cleary who believes it is because of a combination of bad town planning, underfunding and wider trends around how we shop.
He said: "I think the history of town planning in Wirral - the way it has been designed is for traffic, to get people in and out.
"No matter where you travel in Birkenhead, it is designed to get people to the port.
"This is a recipe for a decayed environment not conducive for people to stay, shop and enjoy it.
"It really cuts people off, for instance on the other side of the [Hind Street] flyover where the Central Hotel has been empty for years, that should be a prime location.
"And then you get this sense of displacement and a traffic jungle which makes for an ugly urban environment with lots of pollution."
Rock Retail Park a 'town planning mistake'
The Green Party councillor also said the Rock Retail Park was a "town planning mistake" on the part of Wirral Council which has only compounded the decline of the high street.
He said: " You have the provision of out-of-town retail, such as the Rock Retail Park which should have never have been built. It car-dependent and just sucks the life away from the town centre.
“Other wider trends have impacted the high street, like the internet and changes in shopping habits that have led to the market being half empty.
“An of course there are far fewer people working in the industries that have been in Birkenhead.
“Put that together and you get neglect and decline."
Cllr Cleary also pointed to a political shift in Birkenhead that "shocked the political elite" at Wirral Council.
He said: "What you have now over the last couple of years, partly because of political change, with the people of Birkenhead making clear by re-electing me, that these things really matter.
"It shocked the one political party council that had ruled over Birkenhead for years, it was a real wake-up call for the political elite and now, in the up-and-coming elections, we may get to a point where there are no Labour councillors in the ward."
Cllr Cleary is one of three ward councillors for Birkenhead and Tranmere, another is independent Steve Hayes.
'The past is the past now it's time to look to the future'
Cllr Hayes came to Birkenhead when he was just two-years-old and said rather than trying to answer questions of the past, he is looking to Birkenhead's future.
He said: "I remember when I used to walk across the space that is now the Pyramids - that was a major project but it has not really moved on since then and I have been wanting it to move on for years.
"I wouldn’t say there is any one good reason why we have got to the stage where we need this kind of heavy investment, it has just been allowed to progressively go downhill, partly the fault of the government, I think perhaps some fault with the local council, but again I suspect they never had the funding.
"The past is the past, now it's time to look to the future."
Cllr Hayes praised the new plans from the council and said it is like " all the stars have aligned" and people should be confident this plan will change Birkenhead forever.
He said: "This is not "pie-in-the-sky". Some might say they have “seen it before”, but this will be paid for with grants and each stage pays for the next stage.
"This is something we are going to do. I was gobsmacked at the plans
"We have been pushing hard for the green agenda, the interconnectivity, there is some real joined-up thinking here - it is a proper masterplan.
"We are building eight strategic projects, any one of them would be considered big in their own right.
"Wirral was without a Local Plan for many years, but now, what the council has done in so little time is fantastic - it is like all the stars have aligned.
"The high ranking officer and councillors involved in the plans should get all the credit, what they have done in almost 18 months - to have a Local Plan and this masterplan - in a global pandemic is really staggering.
"I am really excited by it, it has not just met my dreams it has surpassed them. I’m in my 50s and I just hope I live to see it happen."
His excitement is shared by Cllr Cleary who told the ECHO: "It is a positive story. What they have put forward is transformational. It is a well-thought-out programme that will totally change the town over the next 20 years. It is comprehensive.
"It is still lacking a mass transit system because you need to have a way of people getting around without a car - but that is still in development.
"And there is serious money coming into the town."
There is already an approved Future High Street grant from government of £24.5m and a bid in for £45m from the Town Deal Fund - which won't be decided until later this year.
Cllr Cleary added: "We want to make it a place people want to live in. Now stuff is actually happening, people are taking it seriously.
"As a party, we are challenging the schemes as they come forward, but people are starting to believe that for the first time in their lifetimes the council is going to change the town which is in tune with the way people want to live.
"And the council has had to do that. It is unbelievable how much the council has changed - the new political leadership and the move from cabinet-led governance to committees, now everything is done by committee it is much more open. And this shows what it can achieve."
'This is regeneration in action'
The ward councillor's sentiments are echoed by MP Mick Whitley who said the plans were "ambitious" and "realistic".
He added: " My constituents need new homes. They need dignified and well-paid jobs. Good amenities, nice places to relax in and a healthy environment are vital for our town are not optional in the modern civilised world. They are essential and building them is at the heart of this plan.
"But they are realistic too. They focus on targets that are achievable. We can create jobs by building in new houses. We can attract investment by offering accessible and well-placed industrial sites such as MEA Park.
"And we can look to a future as part of a City Region that is committed to a Green Industrial Revolution with the Mersey Tidal Project, a North West Low Carbon industrial cluster, the Mersey Bay Offshore Wind Farms and the like.
"This can help rebuild Birkenhead – the town that gave the world the first publicly financed park has every right to regain its place as a centre of hope and prosperity.
"The plan aims to deliver these things and I will do all I can to hasten its success. Never mind Tory buzz words about levelling up. This is regeneration in action."
The Birkenhead 2040 Framework is currently out for public consultation, you can have your say here.
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