Forums Forums Wirral Information Ask - Wiki Wirral International Trade Centre

What's happening about this development? There was a great deal of hoopla about it a few months back, but having cleared the site, nothing whatever seems to be happening in the construction line.

I drove past yesterday and apart from a herring gull on the acres of bare earth there was no activity whatsoever.

Has the whole thing stalled?

I could ask the same of the whole 'Wirral Waters' project.

Sure it must still be in the pipeline, but we don't know how long the pipe is ! Maybe China are holding it up.....

oh my i never thought i would ever agree with frank on something, I need a lie down for the shock, !

I think you'll find China's interest in investing into the UK is closely linked with its desire to get into europe. Were we to leave Europe, I think their interest might well evaporate too.

However, I suspect the Birkenhead International Trade Centre will never happen. The whole Wirral Waters seems to me to be a highly implausible dream. There is yet to be a single brick laid in either it or the sister development across the River in Liverpool, and I expect the site clearance was done at the taxpayer's expense, not that of the development company!

China are certainly playing a part in this developement. If you remember a few years ago, the leader of the council Mr.Foulkes, Head of Tourism, Emma Degg, pus others and representatives from Peel Holdings paid a visit to China, and made a deal over Wirral Waters. I don't think Peel Holdings are likely to let this one slip by. They are very much into developement of the highest degree.
China being involved in so much, I find a bit worrying. They are now in Africa, and rapidly expanding there. They have certainly got a foothold in Europe now but what will the end product be? We have sent out scientists there to educate them. Their population as we know is vast, in comparison, and why are they to be issued with so many more visas for this country. Is that part of the deal ? I'm sure China would like to disperse it's population wherever it can.
Bringing business is one thing, but will they be taking our jobs too? If they should be allowed to buy or own our property (infrastructure) ,then they have us over a barrel.

I understood that the idea was a sort of wholesale shopping mall, where buyers could - say - order 50,000 dishwashers or a CNC milling machine,from another company with both buyer and seller coming from ANY country. The idea of the trade centre was to provide facilities for such goods to be exhibited. Nothing would be manufactured there.

Is such a centre absolutely essential to doing business? I'd say no. If someone is in the market for 50,000 dishwashers, they will probably be besieged by sales reps before they can turn round, trade centre or no.

As to infrastructure, I'd prefer it to be here than in china. In extremis the UK gov. could nationalise it and take over ownership. Pretty hard to do if its in China.

But I think it's unlikely that anything will be built. If it was going to happen there would have been some sign of life or some mention of it starting on the Peel website. There is nothing however. My bet is that it is no more. It is an ex- International trade centre. It has expired. It is dead!

Probably both buyers and sellers can manage without it, and there is little interest in it.

Check out the globe today. It should be back up and running in the new year. They just needed to sell most of the remaining spaces to confirm investment in the project

Here is the link
Wirral Globe

Thanks Mikeeb.

Reading between the lines, I suspect it is not going to happen. Unless enough people sign up, I can't see Peel wasting a penny on it. In these hard times, companies are not going to invest in anything unless it is essential, and this isn't. It might be a 'nice to have' facility, but essential it ain't.

I hope I'm wrong. Birkenhead needs all the investment it can get. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a new year start, like the council and Peel.