A long-neglected seaside town which shares its name with an iconic city is being given an £80m upgrade. New Brighton, a suburb of Wallasey on the Wirral, is around 280 miles from the famous seaside city of Brighton in on the south coast but has not had the same level of fortune in recent years.
However, this could be about to change with fresh investment. According to North West Place, a new master plan was unveiled last year that aimed to propel the development forward after £80m was invested in 2011.
The hope is that the funding and developments will help to boost New Brighton’s fortunes and draw more tourists in to help boost the town’s economy.
Time Out reported that the scheme is known as the Marine Promenade Masterplan. It will see a new lido, beach park, and promenade constructed.
Alongside this, there will be a sea of up-to-date cafes and restaurants next to a hotel with a capacity of 300 rooms.
The new facilities would mark the beginning of a bounce back for New Brighton which has seen many of its landmarks taken down or destroyed.
Its main tower was taken down in 1921 while the pier was removed in the 1970s, and the local swimming pool was removed around 30 years ago.
Speaking about the news, councillor Tony Jones told the press: “New Brighton has seen a lot of investment relatively recently but that is just a starting point – the town needs much more intervention to re-establish it and make the most of this fantastic place to live, work, and of course to visit.
“I understand people will be keen to see work moving ahead and I share that, but it is absolutely vital that whatever changes we bring forward are done in the spirit of partnership.”
Councillor Jones’ comments came just days after local residents admitted things were improving in the area. Speaking to the Wirral Globe, Karen Guerreiro admitted the area had been improved by the arrival of Greggs and new businesses.
She said: “Just the people that come down here. We are going to have a picnic on the dips. You just wouldn’t before.”
Ms Guerreiro also said that having a playground like one in neighbouring Stockport would also “be brilliant for all ages with climbing frames because then we would be here and go into town more often”.
Local residents also said more free parking in the town would also encourage people to flock to the town and make it more financially attractive to travel there.
Speaking about New Brighton’s future, Seaside Café owner Helen Robinson said: “The last thing we want to do is go back to the forgotten resort that we used to be.”
Source: express.co.uk