I've just seen this on my Facebook; the Council has plans to open up the roadway across the front of Birkenhead Town Hall to traffic, and make a number of other local alterations, changing parking, moving bus stops and crossings etc. First I've heard of it, yet consultation only runs until November 13th! It will cost around £1 million, yet they say they're strapped for cash? Hmm...I don't use the area frequently, so I can't say whether it is likely to be a good thing or not; there's a copy of the plan here: http://www.wirralgreenparty.org.uk/files/WBC-CONSULT/MMD-357912-C-DR-01-0100-0001_P1.pdf

They would be better spending the million doing the town hall up ..

Waste of money !!
Invest in what works. . . . .

Well, if so inclined- join the #CorbynArmy- and join the Labour Party. Make your opinions count. £1.50 a month- gives you a voice...about the Town Hall and just a few things that may effect your life.....us,the 99%

Probably find that someone has bought it, with an agreement for the alterations to be done prior to completion.

Peel Holdings were once thought to be looking for prestigious offices in Birkenhead. Can't think of anything that comes up anywhere near to the Town Hall. There again, I thought they had drifted away on a slow boat to China with all the cash.

They should never have closed it off in the first place.

Certainly don't see the advantage in spending £1m on changing it now. No doubt there is some improvement grant they have found - but that still doesn't justify spending money unnecessarily.

Just making that side of Hamilton Square one-way and a single lane past the town hall could have some advantages and cost a lot less than this.

I also don't see the advantage in making it two way past Hamilton square station again, Woodside is no longer the central point it used to be.

I am concerned that they are reducing parking in the Hamilton Square area - this is supposed to be one of our commercial zones and restricting parking from that area even more is hardly progressive.

When Birkenhead was allocated £10 million for Birkenhead between 1999 and 2004 ( I think), some of the money was used for the Town Hall Museum, some of the money was used for Pacific Road Theatre, some of the money was used for the Trams and extending the line, some of the money was used for the Antiques Triangle in Birkenhead, some of the money was used for regenerating Birkenhead Park.

Now who can tell me just 10 years down the line , how many of those are still functional, owned and run by the council in any shape or form for benefit the public of Wirral ?

They could certainly waste money, particularly when it wasn't their own.

There is a report somewhere about how the Hamilton Quarter scheme basically failed despite the amount of money thrown in.

We are now about to have the Wirral Chamber of Commerce run the Birkenhead BID which I am dreading. The BID is funded by a compulsory tax on businesses within their district.

The Chamber of Commerce used to be a good organisation supporting businesses etc, but now the Chamber actually competes against businesses and is running a business in its own right - this doesn't make any sense to me.

Furthermore, the Chamber of Commerce managed to get a lot of Birkenhead extracted from the Birkenhead & Tranmere Neighbourhood Planning Forum which means Birkenhead residents will not have any say in the future developments in Birkenhead.

town hall (now closed) Pacific road (now closed) tram line (in danger of closing) and so on ....this is where millions could be invested..

Talking about the Hamilton Quarter. This is another little venture that I don't remember seeing any sign of. David Hillhouse, who was commissioned by the Hamilton Quarter,was an employee of the council. Whether he was at the point of it being commissioned I'm not sure, but I would have thought it to be a bit 'out of order', so to speak if he was ! Lovely painting though'.
Was it ever installed on a building t the rear of market street, the purpose for which it was blown up ?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/shop-front-birkenhead-wirral-67303

I was told recently that the Pacific Road Theatre was to be used by the Chamber of Commerce. I can't remember if it was a sale or lease deal, but it would allow for the tram line to remain with a tram in there, and I think another street scene was to be constructed.

Hi Norton

The Council tried to sell it back in 2011. Mersey travel were interested at that time, but I don't know if they proceeded or if anyone else bought it. Up to be a business centre now. More money ! Everything seems to go around in circles these days.

Yes it was and placed in no-mans land, I came across it while waiting to go into court

CLICKY

Waste of money, Hamilton square isn't very busy at the moment, once they open it up it won't be so peacefull anymore due to excessive traffic.

ste hamilton squre is a booming place if you owned the off license you want to look closer the benches are always occuppied the the flowers are well watered

A subtle observation indeed !

Also the Grasshopper engine in the pump house between Woodside ferry and Hamilton Square station, which used to pump the water from the railway tunnel at the side of the floating roadway, (the torrent of water that came out of the pipe in the wall used to frighten me as a child), restored but no longer open to the public.

....and if you remember there were unusual outdoor sports ( whilst wearing a hi viz jacket) going on in the gardens, a couple of years ago ??


Pumping Station, I believe is now on land owned by Peel Holdings, or so I was told. That was a real treasure and so well cared for by the chaps, with a huge sense of pride.

I remember last year or so wallasy town hall blowing £20,000 on a Downton Abbey style toilets with fixtures and fittings..and a whooping £25,000 replacing carpets for the town hall stairs ! cash that could have been spent on any of the above? (Would be nice to see the grasshopper) restored and reopened.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/20000-spend-penny-wirral-council-7253314

The tram venture struck me as a hopeless project from day one. There seems to be an assumption by tram enthusiasts that everyone is as keen as they are on the things, but few can be bothered with them.

Whenever I see a tram trundling along the short track in Birkenhead it contains one or two passengers if that, and I am surprised it has lasted as long as it has. It is simply not a tourist attraction.

Manchester's approach to trams has been far more sensible. Use them as an up to date form of transport where folk use the in large numbers to get around.

Tram should have gone down the haymarket/mollington line but I guess it wouldn't have been so visible then - mind you who sees it now!

Birkenhead Trams are a tourist attraction, and Tramway Preservation Society, where as Manchester's trams are a transport system.

You'd be very surprised as to how many people do visit Birkenhead trams, from a great distance and the local people. The children love them particularly at Christmas. I think they still do a Santa Tram for the children. (According to this link it is now 'sold out').
Or how about this ? Happening this Friday.

http://www.mtps.co.uk/events.html

That was exactly the problem, why weren't the trams made to be part of a functional transport solution - most of the year there aren't many tram loving tourists around Birkenhead. Woodside is no longer a central hub like it used to be - if they tried to make a white elephant they would have been hard pressed to do better than this.

Blackpool has them as transport and tourism and is a pretty successful model.

Tram Preservation Society and Museum. What does that mean ? We can't take horse drawn trams out any longer or old buses for public transport, and as said in my above post, Birkenhead Trams are very popular and have always been so.
More support from local people might keep the balance.

Birkenhead Trams are not "very popular" they have been very close to closing down for a number of years now.

Why are you mentioning horse drawn trams? Are you getting mixed up between Wirral Transport Museum and the running trams, the running trams belong to and are operated by Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society.

When the tramway was being develop it was stated "The tramway is perceived as a tourist attraction but also as an obvious transportation system of great potential and historical significance"

The News page is nice to see. Wirral Bus and Tram Show 2015.


http://www.mtps.co.uk/news.html

Birkenhead Trams, Tram Preservation Society, Wirral Transport Museum are all the same thing! All operate from the same building are all operated by the same staff and volunteers.

From the Liverpool side there is very little information about what to do when you get across the water after travelling on the Ferry.

Before I was a local and came to Liverpool on a day trip, I took the obligatory ferry trip. Got to Woodside and there was nothing, save a sign for the Grasshopper, which was closed. I and others milled around a bit, then went back to the ferry, disappointed. Some don't even get off the boat.

There needs to be more promotion of the town and the attractions nearby (Hamilton Square, Gallaghers, Italian Consulate, Birkenhead Priory, Grasshopper, the Victorian Street, the trams), a free bus to New Brighton perhaps,

No they aren't the same thing at all.

The Transport Museum belongs to Wirral Council, Merseyside Tram Preservation Society doesn't.

Just because they have cross-agreements and co-locate (to an extent) does not mean they are one and the same.

The tram sheds are in Pacific Road, the museum is in Taylor Street.

One tram is stored at Pacific Road, or was. Council own 2 Hong Kong trams'

David Taylor says:

Thursday 7 June 2012 at 14:19


It is interesting to note that the bad news travels fast. Members of the MTPS were only told on Wednesday. Three committee members attended the meeting which was confusing as the councilers did not know the facts. They thought that council employees operated the system and were taken aback when informed that 90% of the operations were done by the society. With only a few paid staff such as electrician, Caretaker and four platform staff

The tram sheds ie. where they are maintained and repaired are in Taylor Street. Before they moved into Taylor Street, they were housed and maintained in Pacific Road. (Pre track extension). I spent quite a time at Pacific Road working on the Class 503 electric unit. Taylor St. has more spacious accomodation and houses many preserved buses too. With the ever expanding working fleet of trams, maybe one or two have to be shedded at Pacific Road now. A while since I've been on an inspection !!

Sorry Granny - your post thudded in whilst I was hammering away on the electric mangle.

I'm not sure if Wirral Chamber of Commerce has kicked the trams out of Pacific Road, I understood that the Pacific Road rescue package included retaining the tram sheds for MTPS but I have a suspicion this hasn't fully happened.

The Hong Kong trams were handed over to MPTS when they also took over the tramway in early 2014. The trams and tramway are wholly run by MPTS with no involvement from the Council.

A number of years ago it all came together. Birkenhead Town Centre Management put masses of effort in to the area.
The immediate attractions which were mainly only open at weekends or Bank Holidays and listed as such on various brochures etc. They included,Ferry, Trams, Tram Museum , Wirral Museum at the Town Hall, Priory, St.Mary's Tower, Pumping Station(Grasshopper) , Egerton Bridge, Historic Warships and a little yellow electric bus which ran up and down to the town centre from Woodside terminal. Apart from the Ferry and the trams (£1 or something like that) they were all free to access.
First thing to go was the little yellow bus. That really put the cap on things..at the same time fewer buses were going to the terminal. It seemed as if it was a deliberate act to make the area fail, but I don't know and certainly wouldn't know why, but I'm sure someone had their reasons.

Apart from the trams, Priory and Ferry, they are all closed now, and to get a bus up to the Williamson is a bit of a fag..

Oh yes, I remember the little Eco bus! I don't think it was very well used - probably subsidised by some sort of short-term funding.

On the odd occasion I've been to Woodside recently, it just makes me sad. I remember it when the station was active, it was the bus terminus and the ferry, every 10 minutes, cost 2d.

Chris, it is a sad place now. Change on top of change . The little eco bus was used by people who would take a trip down to the front, have a cup of coffee at the café or something to eat and enjoy the view across to Liverpool. They didn't bother after the eco finished. It took people off the ferry up to the town centre and of course to the market. One little removal or change can affect so many.

I wonder about the cenotaph opposite the Town Hall. At this moment, I cannot visualize it's precise location and wonder how close to the road it will be. Is it likely to get dirty from passing traffic, I wonder ?

Posted on Facebook..(wirral network)


Ive just been to a consultation about the Council's proposed changes to Hamilton Street in front of Birkenhead Town Hall. It was rather confused, I thought. Firstly, it was held in a room ('the family room') with no proper lighting, so it was difficult to see the plans properly. Secondly, the chap from Mott McDonald who is the highways expert said their transport modelling has indicated that HGVs and buses would not use the road but it would be open to them. If there are problems in the future they could put a weight limit on vehicles using the road. Why open the road to buses and HGVs if they are not going to use it? The justification for the scheme is evidently to increase footfall for businesses in Hamilton Square at a time when businesses are moving away from the Square and residential conversions are increasing. It took a taxi driver to tell them that they had sited the new taxi ranks on the wrong side of the road, which would have meant loading wheelchairs from the carriageway, which is obviously very dangerous. The whole scheme seems badly thought out and I was not convinced at all that it is the best scheme. Apparently there were 4 options put forward but the public has only been shown one of them. Not very satisfactory. If you can get down to Birkenhead Town Hall tonight, the consultation is open until 7pm.

Things to do after stepping off the ferry at Woodside.
1 Submarine.
2 Pint in Gallagher's.
3 The Priory.
4 The Tram Museum.
5 Another pint in Gallagher's
6 A stroll around Hamilton SQ (Taking in the beautiful architecture).
7 Wilfred Owen exhibition.
8 Haircut in Gallagher's.. Followed by
9 Another pint.
10 Crawl back to the ferry..

Ha ha ! nidgynoo.

What ever happened to the Old Colonial by Taylor Street. That was all part of the 'Heritage Trail' package too. Pint and a pie to keep you going.

Found this. Draft copy.(2013) Page 4 gives a brief outline of possibilities for Hamilton Square.

http://www.wirralgreenparty.org.uk/files/other/2013-12-wgp-Draft--Greenprint-for-Birkenhead.pdf

....and who is Dr Paul Fiztpatrick,when he's at home ?

Ha - he mentions the bus terminal should be at Woodside and the Town Hall should be a museum - deja vu!

This document was produced by the Green Party.

The proposal to put smaller shops along Argyle Street and Market Street is hardly new (and was promoted by the Hamilton Quarter scheme) but where is the parking going to be for that area?

if you want to object, today (Thursday) is the last day. Go to the highways section of the council website and click on 'comments and objections to a traffic scheme'; the name of the scheme is 'Hamilton Square redesign' and the scheme number is DC-STEP-1516-2. Don't just put 'waste of money' as that will be regarded as a comment rather than an objection. You have to give reasons why you object.

my objection has been lodged tonight

What a load of rot in that Green Party document: I can't respect anything he says when he says this.
Quote: Such an investment can be presented as a natural and consolidating extension of its museums and galleries in Liverpool scarcely a quarter of a kilometre distant. /quote.
The river from Woodside to the Liverpool shore is 1 kilometer.

Similar to a few years ago, Chris. Different matter but Westminster thought it a good idea to link Wallasey and Kirkdale for electoral purposes. Flabbergasting

These are the muppets who sit in high places and make important decisions on our behalf.

Oh, I so agree, Granny.

By pure co-incidence, I found this article was in some old paperwork of mine. How it was planned in 1998.

You may need to enlarge the view (Ctrl +), but I scanned and joined it up to be A3, about its original size.

Excellent @Norton, thanks for posting.

Change for change sake and a flawed concept, Hamilton Square went from the hallowed core of Birkenhead to almost a no-go zone, quite the opposite of the objectives.

In my mind they should have made it one-way all the way round with sideways parking around the outside, its a business district and desperately needs the parking.

After considerable objections, the proposals have now changed to maintain the pedestrian area in front of the Town Hall but other road changes will still take place. Further consultation will be carried out.

SOURCE