METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF WIRRAL ECONOMIC REGENERATION AND PLANNING STRATEGY SELECT COMMITTEE – 14 JULY 2003 REPORT OF THE DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE/DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT _____________________________________________________________________________ TWELVE QUAYS/BIRKENHEAD STRATEGIC SITE - DRAFT MASTER PLAN AND DELIVERY STRATEGY 1. Executive Summary 1.1 The North West Development Agency has prepared a draft Master Plan and Delivery Strategy for the Twelve Quays Strategic Site. The Council’s views are requested. 1.2 This report recommends that the draft Master Plan and Delivery Strategy is supported and that the North West Development Agency is informed that the Mater Plan and Delivery Strategy are in line with the Council’s wider aspirations for the regeneration of the area. 2. Introduction 2.1 The Twelve Quays/Birkenhead Strategic Site was designated by the North West Development Agency in December 2002. It is the second such site in Wirral, the other being the Wirral International Business Park. The boundary to the designated area is shown at Appendix 1 to this report. 2.2 The North West Development Agency intends to focus public investment within the designated Strategic Sites across the region and has prepared a draft Master Plan to guide the future activities of the Agency and the direction of grant aid at Twelve Quays. 2.3 A draft of the Master Plan has now been forwarded to the Council for comment. 3. The Draft Master Plan 3.1 The draft Master Plan for Twelve Quays has been prepared by consultants on behalf of the North West Development Agency. A similar document is being prepared for the Wirral International Business Park in Bromborough. 3.2 The draft Plan recognises the high profile and regional importance of the Twelve Quays Strategic Site and its potential contribution to the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park initiative. It also recognises the positive complementary contribution of the regeneration initiatives being planned or undertaken within the wider area. 3.3 The Plan considers the opportunities for new development based on a market analysis of the area and the need for improvements to the public realm in terms of the image of the Strategic Site. 3.4 The Plan also addresses issues such as traffic congestion at “the four bridges” along Tower Road, the potential for a freight link to switch traffic from road to rail and the potential to extend the existing tramline from Woodside. Economic Regeneration and Planning Strategy Select Committee -14 July 2003 Twelve Quays/Birkenhead Strategic Site – Draft Master Plan and Delivery Strategy 1 3.5 The Plan will also inform the development of the strategy for the neighbouring housing areas which are incorporated within the Housing Market Renewal Initiative Pathfinder Area. 4. Market Analysis 4.1 The market analysis concludes that the effective regeneration of the Twelve Quays Strategic Site will require a medium to long term programme of activity. This will be necessary because: · current demand is relatively weak and local in nature; · the Wirral International Business Park in Bromborough is now the recognised industrial location in Wirral and the infrastructure serving the Business Park is far superior to Twelve Quays; · the office market is overshadowed by sites with superior locations and connections in Liverpool and Chester; and · the Strategic Site has a lack of “marketable identity” and regional presence. 4.2 The market analysis recommends the removal of “unsociable” uses and the upgrading of the local infrastructure and road network, to create a positive and attractive environment for new investment and to enable Twelve Quays to emerge and compete as a realistic alternative location for development. 4.3 The suggested list of improvements includes: · improved access to and activity along the waterfront adjoining Scott’s Quay; · the retention and reinforcement of views to Liverpool especially from Morpeth Wharf and Egerton Bridge; · the renovation and repair of landmark features such as the Hydraulic Tower and the historic Spiller’s warehouses; · improvements to the approaches from Hamilton Square, including the treatment of vacant sites and prominent frontages; · enhance the appearance of the Ro-Ro ferry terminal, to improve the quality of the environment as a business location; · a landmark feature to mark the site from the Liverpool side of the Mersey; · improvements to the appearance of the visually dominant Vittoria Dock transit sheds. 4.4 The Agency is advised to respond promptly to developers and landowners that are currently looking to secure a development position that may prejudice or conflict with the future regeneration of Twelve Quays. Economic Regeneration and Planning Strategy Select Committee -14 July 2003 Twelve Quays/Birkenhead Strategic Site – Draft Master Plan and Delivery Strategy 2 5. Development Options 5.1 The main development options considered in the draft Master Plan centre around Scott’s Quay, the area between the coast and Birkenhead Road; and the future of the Twelve Quays Technology Park at Morpeth Wharf. (i) Scott’s Quay 5.2 The draft Master Plan suggests that the future of the Scott’s Quay area will largely depend on the Agency’s ability to pursue a large-scale programme of land assembly. 5.3 The draft reports that a number of land owners are already willing to consider selling to the Agency and that Volclay/Minsol are willing to consider re-locating from the area if a suitable alternative site could be provided elsewhere within the Dock Estate. 5.4 There is also an opportunity to swap land at Birkenhead Road owned by the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company, with land already owned by the Agency at Morpeth Wharf. 5.5 There are four main options for the Agency at Scott’s Quay: · do nothing – which means that no large sites would come forward for redevelopment and the site would only provide for local needs; · seek to actively assist development on sites that are currently available – which may yield up to 650 new jobs, again only for local needs; · comprehensive site assembly, including the Minsol/Volclay “triangle” – which would yield up to 700 new jobs plus a step change in the wider image of the area; · comprehensive site assembly, including redevelopment of the adjacent housing areas – which would further extend these benefits and could increase the number of jobs created accordingly. 5.6 The draft Master Plan suggests that Scott’s Quay should be the “centre of aspiration” for the Strategic Site and recommends that one of the comprehensive approaches should be pursued. (ii) Twelve Quays Technology Park 5.7 The draft Master Plan concludes that the current Technology Park at Morpeth Wharf will be unable to attract substantial science related business development and recommends that the site is re-branded away from the high tech “science park” concept. 5.8 The draft Master Plan, therefore, identifies three main options for the Technology Park: · a general business park – which may yield up to 1100 new jobs, as part of a new high quality office and business development; · a mixed business/dock-related development – which may yield up to 750 new jobs, with a greater reliance on distribution related developments; · dock-related development – which would only directly benefit the Docks & Harbour Company but which could also yield up to 750 new jobs, assuming that an element of new office and business development would be included. Economic Regeneration and Planning Strategy Select Committee -14 July 2003 Twelve Quays/Birkenhead Strategic Site – Draft Master Plan and Delivery Strategy 3 5.9 There is a considerable focus on the future of the land already owned by the Agency to the north of Morpeth Wharf directly adjacent to the Ro-Ro ferry terminal. 5.10 The Mersey Docks & Harbour Company has approached the Agency with a proposal to build a 10,065 square metre high bay Distribution Centre, linked directly to the Ro-Ro terminal, with four smaller workshop units to accommodate ancillary uses such as trailer repairs. 5.11 While the draft Master Plan is critical of the overall scale and design of this proposal, it concludes that the concept might have merit in terms of softening the visual and operational impact of the Ro-Ro ferry terminal on the rest of the Technology Park. It could also have merit in terms of releasing the land owned by the Docks & Harbour Company at the Minsol/Volclay “triangle” as part of a land swap arrangement. 5.12 Agency support for the Distribution Centre would, however, need to be conditional on major alterations to the design and access arrangements. 5.13 The draft Master Plan also recommends that the proposal to build a 250-bed business hotel at the Morpeth Wharf waterfront should not be supported at this time, as it is unlikely to be consistent with the Agency’s wider objectives for the Twelve Quays area. 6. Public Realm Strategy 6.1 The draft Master Plan concludes that the success of any development scenario for the Twelve Quays area will require the implementation of a complementary public realm strategy to tackle the inhospitable public realm of palisade fencing and worn and rusted materials. 6.2 The public realm strategy should include a mixture of public art, lighting, and hard and soft landscaping, signage and street furniture, build on the industrial dockland heritage and generate a unique and consistent sense of identity across the Strategic Site. 6.3 The public realm strategy will need to address key road corridors and vehicular gateways, “post card” sites such as Tower Point, the waterfront with views to Liverpool, the former Grain Warehouses along Dock Road, and improved pedestrian accessibility in appropriate areas. 6.4 The relocation of the Warships Museum to Tower Quay and the extension of the Birkenhead Tram system would also be consistent with this strategy.