Birkenhead North station riddle

Jun 24 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Birkenhead News

AS BIDSTON Railway Station steams ahead with plans for a million pound Park and Ride facility, Birkenhead North’s future is still unclear.

Even though both stations were being progressed together as part of Merseytravel’s strategic policy for Park and Rides in Wirral, according to Merseytravel, if a Park and Ride was build at Birkenhead North, Wirral Council would have to repay a substantial amount of funding back to the EU.

Merseytravel Principal Projects Officer Barbara Wade said: “Unfortunately, due to issues relating to previously claimed grant funding by Wirral Council’s HMRI initiative to demolish the local housing in the area of the station, it has become evident that the land can only be used to replace the housing with new housing.

“Merseytravel are working closely with Wirral Technical Services Department to try to resolve some of the problems arising from this issue because there are now a number of cars parked at Birkenhead North Station on a daily basis; therefore demonstrating its attractiveness as a Park and Ride location.”

Bidston councillor Harry Smith believes that the proposal to install a Park and Ride at Birkenhead North is a “dead duck” unless Wirral Council’s proposed master planning exercise resolves the land issue.

He said: “I hope once Bidston has its new facility Birkenhead North won’t be forgotten.”

Wirral Council has been having discussions with its partners about a future use for the land in front of Birkenhead North station for some time but no decision has yet been made.

It is anticipated that this study will be ready by the end of the year and any decision about the site, will be taken after this.