Significant plans for hundreds of homes, a brand new market, office space and green areas in Birkenhead were last night approved.
Wirral Council's strategic applications sub-committee on Thursday approved the huge plans for the Wirral town, which include 651 new homes on brownfield land.
All members of the committee voted in favour of the proposals, aimed at protecting the greenbelt, and with energy efficient Grade A office space and a new and improved Birkenhead Market.
Under the proposals, Wirral Council will occupy part of the new office space as part of a commitment to improving its carbon footprint and cut down on the use of costly and inefficient buildings, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Speaking at last night's meeting, Mike Horner, director of Wirral Growth Company, a partnership between Wirral Council and Muse Developments, said he was "delighted" his team had reached this milestone for Birkenhead.
Mr Horner added that this was the "culmination of three years of hard work and focused effort".
Among the things the Growth Company director said the plan will deliver for the town was a "vibrant" food and drink offering, a new pedestrian and cycling route around the town and for Birkenhead to be designed for those who wanted to work, play, eat, drink or visit.
He acknowledged that there have been too many false dawns for Birkenhead in the past, but he said this vision will be delivered because the Growth Company was behind it.
Councillors across the board backed the plans, with Labour's Steve Foulkes saying he had looked up the history of Birkenhead on Wikipedia which charted the major moments in the town's history.
The last event on the timeline was the building of the Pyramids Centre in the 1990s. The latest plans, Cllr Foulkes said, will one day be an important addition to the list and to Birkenhead as a town.
Conservative councillor Kathy Hodson said the plans will "elevate" the town, with not just housing, but also the emergence of a cafe culture and importantly green spaces.
The plan will not just deliver for now but for the future also Cllr Hodson said, adding that she could not fault the scheme.
The Tory member finished her remarks by acknowledging the plans of the past which were not delivered and saying she hoped this will be the start of a wonderful regeneration of the town which will spread across the whole of Wirral.
