Regeneration
The proposals for Rock Ferry Waterfront regeneration which form part of the wider Mersey Coastal Park strategic plan stretching from Rock Ferry in the north to Eastham Country Park in the south, are designed to capture the public imagination by developing the Rock Ferry Waterfront as the northern end of this coastal walkway to create a “Go to destination” not only for the public but also to provide much improved access to the River Mersey to enable it to become a regional centre for sailing and other water based activities.
Attractive waterfront locations are a magnet for the public and building on the facilities of the two yacht clubs already at Rock Ferry, our development proposals will give visitors much improved access to the river for a wide range of water related and other recreational activities.
Marina, Pier & Slipway Central to our waterfront concept is the construction of a new 80 berth marina with floating pontoons giving 24/7 hour access to the river coupled with refurbishment and improvements to the pier and slipway.
The Refreshment Rooms The former Admiral Pub has now been renovated and returned to its original name “The Refreshment Rooms”. It provides an attractive waterside facility with excellent food and a range of range of real ales.
Residential The Bath Cottages site is scheduled for a Rock Park style development of 18 waterfront apartments and car parking looking directly onto the Esplanade.
Waterfront Picnic Area The start of the Esplanade has been landscaped to provide a beach frontage with seating for visitors to picnic and enjoy the splendid views of the river and the world famous Liverpool skyline.
Access To give the necessary prominence to this Waterfront destination and to avoid any possible conflict or nuisance to local residents, we see it as essential to improve access to the site and our final proposal therefore is to improve the access directly off the Rock Ferry bypass on to Bedford Road East and to the waterfront car parks and other facilities.
Progress
The regeneration has started with the refurbishment of the well-known Admiral public house now trading very successfully under new management as the Refreshment Rooms drawing visitors from all over the Wirral and voted 2023 “Pub of the Year” in the Wirral Globe
The waterfront around the Esplanade and Slipway has been transformed with new landscaping, hoardings to cover up the unsightly Vestor oil site walls plus seats and signage to enable visitors to enjoy the splendid views across the river to the world heritage sites around the 3 Graces, and views of the two cathedrals in Liverpool city centre.
The next project in the regeneration masterplan is the regeneration of the former Tanker Cleaning Berth known locally as the Vestor Oil site which is an eyesore and blight on the waterfront.
Phase 1 will include the repair and upgrade of the slipway, the demolition of the redundant and dangerous pier and the remediation of the contaminated Vestor site to create a car park and commercial boatyard.
For more information on Phase 1 visit the “SOS” page of the website.
