Excitement builds for the Queen’s visit to New Brighton

Nov 30 2011 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

EXCITEMENT is building ahead of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s visit tomorrow to one of Wirral’s most important regeneration schemes.

The Royal couple will visit the Floral Pavilion and Conference Centre, the flagship project in New Brighton’s long-awaited £60m waterfront development, where they will watch a show performed by schoolchildren.

Up to 90 guests, including volunteers and ex servicemen, will join the Royal party for a lunch prepared by chefs led by Claire Lara, winner of Masterchef: The Professionals last year.

The visit coincides with a key stage in the opening of New Brighton’s Marine Point development, the second phase of the town’s regeneration.

Developer Neptune said with a new cinema set to open, followed by restaurants and coffee bars, the ambitious regeneration scheme for the seaside resort is now near completion.

Neptune’s Daniel Hind said he was “hugely excited” by the Royal visit, describing it as “a fantastic event to be shared by the whole community – we are proud to be part of it”.

The development, which divided the community when it was first proposed and took many years to even begin, includes the 1,200-seater Light cinema, a Morrison’s supermarket, a Home Bargains store, a Travelodge hotel, Brooklyn’s American-style restaurant, Grosvenor Casino, Starbucks and boutique coffee and ice cream bar Caffe Cream.

Phase one was the hugely successful 800-seat Floral Pavilion Theatre and Conference Centre, which has more than 200,000 visitors a year.

Mr Hind said: “The key reason for the Queen’s visit is to recognise the regeneration of New Brighton and the massive investment which has taken place here.”