Did you know that Daniel “James Bond” Craig, went to school in the seaside
town of West Kirby? It is one of the many things this little-known spot on
the Wirral - the first area profiled in our four-page special on Britain's
forgotten seaside towns - keeps quiet.
West Kirby, pictured, is situated where the River Dee meets the Irish Sea. It
has one of the most renowned windsurfing lakes in Britain, prime family
houses and the potential, according to Kevin Adderley, the head of strategic
development for Wirral Council, to become a “classic resort”, like nearby
Southport. “This is somewhere which can offer a good lifestyle minutes from
a wonderful beach,” he says.
The developer who wants to put a £10million hotel on the site of a seafront
car park calls West Kirby a “hidden gem”. Alan Beer and his business partner
Dave Brewitt hope to build Sail, an 80-bedroom hotel with spa, swimming
pool, retail and restaurant space. “We want to attract people on weekend
breaks, families, locals who want an alternative to the golf club,” says
Beer.
The ambition of their plans, which go to public consultation this month,
matches the scale of the site, with its 180-degree water views. “There is no
reason why this building shouldn't win the Stirling Prize,” says Brewitt.
They have engaged the architects Studio Egret West, who did the masterplan
for Middlehaven in Middlesbrough and Urban Splash's project at Park Hill
flats in Sheffield. It will be the biggest development in West Kirby since
the town - population now 13,000 - established itself as a seaside suburb of
Liverpool in the Edwardian era. The legacy of this is a compact centre with
smart cafés alongside traditional butchers and bakers, regular rail services
to Liverpool (30 minutes away), and streets of well-maintained, largely
owner-occupied homes. Some of the most desirable houses overlook Ashton
Park, an area of middle-class respectability. More glitzy is the glamorous
enclave of Caldy, favoured by the Liverpool FC manager Rafael Benítez, where
an eight-bed mansion is for sale for £4.5 million (Bradshaw,
Farnham & Lea , 0151 625 8844).
“Lots of fathers go off to Liverpool by train in the morning,” says Karen
Hope, 36, who moved here from central Liverpool with her partner, Hugh
Thompson, 52, who works for the Civil Service, and their three-year-old
daughter, Amy. “There is a brilliant scene for mums and kids. It's very
friendly - and small, so you can walk everywhere.” Having grown up in nearby
Heswall, she worked as a lawyer before retraining as a teacher. Twelve years
ago she purchased a ground-floor period conversion flat for £42,000 as an
investment. When the two-storey maisonette above it came on the market in
2005, she and her partner decided to rent out his Georgian townhouse in the
Rodney Street conservation area in Liverpool, and settle by the sea. She
paid £175,000 for the maisonette; the plan is to put both properties
together to create a five-bed house, which she estimates would be worth
about £365,000.
There are, of course, residents who object to regeneration plans but it is
clear that, attractive as West Kirby is, its infrastructure and facilities
need to meet modern demands if it is to maintain its desirability. There is
a moratorium on residential new-build, and this helps the town to retain its
period cachet, but sellers have to be realistic. Average house prices were
more than £300,000 in 2006, but dropped to £187,000 by the end of 2007.
Prices have rallied slightly, but activity has been slow this year; only
eight properties changed hands in the central CH48 postcode in January and
February, according to the Land Registry. This illustrates a new trend
emerging in towns undergoing regeneration. Millions may still be being
pumped into improving the amenities, but as in West Kirby, the assumption
that house prices would carry on rising as a result has been blown away.
Fact File
The average price of a West Kirby property is £247,875 (Land
Registry )
Property prices peaked in early 2005, when the average sale was £467,492 (Land
Registry )
Detached houses dominate housing stock in West Kirby, comprising 32.7 per cent
of the total (mouseprice.net )
There are 2,214 detached houses in West Kirby and just 994 terraced houses (mouseprice.com
)
The most expensive road in West Kirby is Kings Drive, with an average value of
£1.86million. The least expensive road is Abbotts Way, with an average value
of £128,200 (mouseprice.com )
This four-bedroom, double-fronted detached property, left, is close to the
centre of both West Kirby and Hoylake, with two good grammar schools in the
area. It is for sale for £585,000 (Clive
Watkin Partnership , 0151-625 0900). The large two-bedroom apartment,
above, in West Kirby is close to a sailing club and lake. It is for sale for
£147,450 (Karl Tatler estate agents,
0151-625 9300).
West Kirby needs the kick start that a good development will provide. Something needs to be done to stop the decline into wall-to-wall charity shops as business moves to Heswall and Hoylak. The improtant thing is to make sure the new development provides good parking and an unobtrusive traffic flow.
Vic Hansen, West Kirby,
The majority of residents are against this development. West Kirby never has been a holiday resort, like New Brighton or Southport. Take a look at the state of the Middlehaven scheme, hardly award winning.
John Robinson, West Kirby, Merseyside
If hotel is built, town no longer a hidden gem.People visiting hotel will not spend money in town as they will have all they need.The hotel will be built on the only car park near the beach depriving us of much needed daytripper income.Town desparately short of car parking so cars parked on street.
John H Hutchinson, West Kirby, Wirral