PP4.3 Wirral Waters Vision Statement 2010

05 World class connections, access for all We want to place Wirral Waters at the Today heart of a World Class infrastructure 3.05.1 The Liverpool City Region is connected and sustainable transport networks, to national and international destinations. Liverpool Lime Street provides direct with local transport hubs providing rail links to the city regions and London safe, attractive, frequent and reliable Euston. Liverpool John Lennon Airport connections to regional, national and (LJLA), access to provide national, European and international business international stations and ports. centres. We want to place pedestrians and 3.05.2 Inner Wirral is well served by regional and local public transport connections, cyclists at the heart of high density with direct rail, ferry and bus connections walkable neighbourhoods, to to Liverpool, and rail and bus manage the use of the car with connections to Chester and Crewe. excellent public transport including 3.05.3 Wirral Waters is well placed to access these public transport services and on water. connections, with four Merseyrail Stations to the immediate south. They provide the We want to reconnect the basis for encouraging walking and cycling communities of Inner Wirral to the across Inner Wirral. ‘Great Floats’ and River Mersey 3.05.4 Pedestrian and cycleway connections to the rail, ferry and bus stations and Waterfront, with open access to beyond are hindered by the poor quality a re-animated waters edge. public realm, lack of natural surveillance in streets dominated by industrial uses that are unused in the early evening and throughout the night and the fear of crime and anti social behaviour arising from the limited amount of pedestrian and vehicle movements. 3.05.5 The opportunity is to work with national, regional and local transport agencies to improve direct connections to Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) and Liverpool Lime Street, to create safe, attractive, easily understood streets and public realm across Inner Wirral to encourage pedestrian and cycling within Wirral Waters. 56 1. Mersey Ferry, Liverpool 2. Seacombe Promenade, Wirral 1 3 3. Liverpool John Lennon Airport 4. Merseyrail, Liverpool 5. Birkenhead Bus Station, Birkenhead 4 2 5 57 World class city connections 3.05.6 Creating excellent, world class connections between Wirral Waters World class city connections and Liverpool Lime Street and LJLA is essential to attract international, European and UK companies and investors. 3.05.7 Connections between LJLA are improving. Rail connections to LJLA terminate at Liverpool South Parkway, and passengers travelling to LJLA River Mersey make the onward journey by bus. ‘City Reach’ 3.05.8 The five Merseyrail stations located to the south of Wirral Waters are underused and have available capacity. They present a poor sense of arrival. The exception is Conway Park, the most recent addition to the Wirral Merseyrail network. This is in part due the condition and quality of the built environment between the stations, which will need to be improved. 3.05.9 The Mersey Ferries provide distinctive and memorable connections to the Liverpool waterfront, ideal for bringing those visiting the Liverpool waterfront or arriving via the Cruise Liner Terminal. 3.05.10 The most immediate solutions are improved direct bus connections providing rapid, frequent, high quality connections linking Inner Wirral and Wirral Waters to Liverpool Lime Street and LJLA, together with high quality approaches and arrival points across East Float and Bidston Dock. 3.05.11 The vision is to work with partners to promote and deliver a 21st century international, national and regional rail, port, and public transport system – in particular significantly improved connections to Liverpool 1 2 John Lennon Airport and Liverpool Lime Street/London Euston. 3 1. Euston Station, London 2. Lime Street Station, Liverpool 3. Seacombe Ferry Terminal, 58 1. John Lennon Airport, Liverpool 3 2. New York Water Taxi 1 3. Green Bus 4 4. Seacombe Ferry and Bus Station 5. Madrid Light Railway System 5 6. Edinburgh Pedicabs 2 6 59 Walkable neighbourhoods 3.05.12 East Float will create high density, mixed use neighbourhoods at the heart of Walkable neighbourhoods the city region. They are ideally placed to become walkable neighbourhoods with walking and cycling as the preferred choice of moving about. 3.05.13 Clear connections around East Float, including new north south connections across the docks, will assist in pedestrians and cyclists with the catalysts neighbourhoods. River Mersey 3.05.14 Creating safe, attractive, easily ‘City Reach’ understood well managed streets and public realm connections to rail, ferry and bus stations and beyond will help encourage walking and cycling beyond the catalyst neighbourhoods. 3.05.15 The proposed City Boulevard will provide strategic pedestrian and cycleway connections linking the River Mersey waterfront, Mersey Ferry Landing Stages, riverside promenades and Inner Wirral, to Bidston Moss and the Millennium cycleway connections to Leasowe in the north and Parkgate in the west. 3.05.16 Both the ‘catalyst’ and ‘partnership’ neighbourhoods will be delivered over a 30+ year time frame, and it is essential to set in place flexible choices that are able to respond appropriately at particular stages of the project. 3.05.17 It is recognised that cars and servicing vehicles have a positive role to play in animating the public realm. During the earlier stages, it is likely that there will be a greater reliance upon private and shared car transport. 3.05.18 The vision is to place people at the heart of high density walkable neighbourhoods with a choice of 1 2 public transport connections – to encourage walking and cycling, manage the car and realise the capacity and close proximity of the 3 existing rail, bus and ferry services. 1. Hudson Riverpark 2. Brighton New Road, Brighton 3. Old Mill Street, New East Manchester 60 05 Legible city structure 3.05.19 The historic street network of Inner Wirral has been fragmented through incremental Legible city structure development and the encroachment of industrial uses and associated poor quality buildings and frontages. As a consequence, there is a lack of clear waymarkers connecting places together or recognisable identity and sense of place to orientate and help people find their way around, 3.05.20 The proposed new city waterfront centred upon East Float will provide a dramatic cityscape, defining East Float River Mersey ‘City Reach’ as a destination, with clearly defined waymarkers and arrival points. 3.05.21 The opportunity is to create a wider City Structure of streets and places to deliver an easily understood network of streets and public realm across Inner Wirral, connecting proposed neighbourhoods together and reconnecting wider residential neighbourhoods to the north and south. 3.05.22 The proposals for green infrastructure and street tree planting (Goal 7) will assist in creating safe, attractive, easily understood street networks.. 3.05.23 The ‘spine’ of this proposed new City Structure is City Boulevard connecting the River Mersey waterfront and Woodside in the east to Bidston in the west. The scale of this strategic landscape corridor is capable of accommodating citywide public transport, pedestrian and cycleway connections. 3.05.24 The vision is to create a legible ‘City Structure’ with safe, easily understood, attractive and animated streets and public realm – connecting ‘catalysts’ and ‘partnership’ neighbourhoods to existing destinations, public transport and community hubs, the River Mersey waterfront and wider Wirral Peninsula. 1 2 3 1. Amsterdam Housing 2. Proposal for Hydraulic Tower, as a restored landmark 3. Dusseldorf Waterfront, Germany 61 Movement Framework The ambitions, principles • Guiding Principles: 4. Sustainable Transport and delivery of this Goal are considered in further • Guiding Principles: 15. Landscape, Waterfront detail in the following and Public Realm supporting documents. 62 To deliver world class Working with partners to promote and deliver a 21st century international, connections and access for 1 national and regional rail, port, and public transport system all, we are committed to: Placing people at the heart of high density walkable and cyclable 2 neighbourhoods with a choice of public transport connections Creating a legible ‘City Structure’ with safe, easily understood, attractive 3 and animated streets, city parks and public realm 63 06 Sharing prosperity, health and well-being We want to achieve a transformational Today change in the quality of life for local 3.06.1 The East and West Floats once acted 3.06.6 The opportunity is to support and communities in Inner Wirral by as the seam of activity and interaction strengthen existing community assets, bringing the communities of Inner Wirral and create new community ‘hubs’ helping to strengthen the viability together. The decline of the docks and ‘seams’ to bring existing and new and quality of existing social has created a visual, physical and communities together improve lifestyle infrastruchure, schools and services, psychological barrier between residential choices and ensure that existing neighbourhoods to the north and south. communities are able to share in the and creating new community hubs prosperity and opportunities created by 3.06.2 From our extensive consultations, many Wirral Waters. and neighbourhood seams to deliver of the communities we have spoken to health, education, culture, training and remember the docks as vibrant places of

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