Pavement plans for Wirral resorts lead to ‘class system’ claims

Apr 11 2012 by Liam Murphy, Birkenhead News

Pavement plans for Wirral resorts lead to ‘class system’ claims

CONCERNS were this week raised about a “class system” in how two of Wirral’s most popular seaside areas are regenerated – in different plans for new pavements.

Wirral council set aside £2.4m for improvements to Hoylake and New Brighton as part of schemes to spruce up the resorts.

But while Hoylake is set to be given a new “town square” near its station with high-quality stone paving, residents and businesses are angry that officials suggested replace paving stones in New Brighton with asphalt.

Doug Darroch, curator of Fort Perch Rock in New Brighton, said he welcomed investment in the town and had nothing against high-quality asphalt being used.

But he said the difference between the plans for the two resorts was “reminiscent of the Titanic” and 100 years on “different things show the class system”.

Joy Hockey, who played a leading role in fighting off the original plans by Neptune to build on New Brighton’s marine lake as part of its £60m redevelopment, said “the old existing surface is much more visually interesting”.

She said: “It is the joins between paving which add interest to large areas.

“I shall be very worried if they do put ‘flexible surfacing’ down. I hope they choose the right colour at least.

“But if they have large areas of seamless surfacing, what will happen when they need to do repairs? They can never make it look right and you end up with an ugly patchwork.”