A major new development including a Lidl store, 45 new family homes and an 80-bed apartment complex for elderly people could be created in a Merseyside seaside town.
The proposals are part of a huge application that is intended to “deliver meaningful change” to Moreton Town Centre in Wirral.
The scheme, proposed by the Wirral Growth Company and Lidl, would be built on land where the town’s former youth community and family centres were based with these two buildings being demolished as part of the proposals.
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The development will also create play areas, a new garden with a patio, allotments and raised beds for the benefit of the new community.
If Wirral Council grants the planning permission, the new Lidl will open at the end of 2023. The “extra-care” apartments for the elderly as well as the public gardens are expected to be completed by 2024.
Construction for the 45 houses is expected to start at the end of 2023 with the whole scheme completed by 2026.
The 80 apartments will all be 100% affordable meaning that 64% of all the new homes will be affordable, three times the council target. None of the houses built will be classed as affordable.
These 45 houses will come with gardens, garages and parking as well as footpaths on internal roads leading to the properties. 15 will be two bedrooms, 20 will be three, and 10 will be four bed houses.
Moreton Library will be extended with new walls, floor, ceilings, one-two-one rooms, with a new kitchen and breakout area forming a "relaxing cosy cafe environment." The outside will be redone with "colourful and bright cladding" to "create a more welcoming and inviting building."
The application states that the site is a “a prime location for a sustainable mixed-use development comprising of a foodstore, high quality family homes and extra care accommodation” as it is “at the heart of the community.”
Original proposals back in 2021 included 75 self-contained supported living apartments and 45 houses. Consultations raised various concerns including the size of the Lidl, need for improvement to the community aspects of the site, and wider impacts on the road.
People were also worried the large store might negatively impact other businesses in the area. The application said Lidl will “complement rather than compete with the smaller independent retailers in Moreton.”
To do this, there will be restrictions on what is sold in the store which will largely be Lidl-branded products and there will not be a butchers, fish counter, pharmacy, or tobacco kiosk. Items like newspapers, stationary and clothes will also not be sold in the store.
Residents are being asked for their opinions on the proposed plans with a cut off date of November 21.
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