IN BRIEF
CONTRACTS EXCHANGED
ON FIRST WIRRAL WATERS
HOUSING SCHEME CHESHIRE FREEMASONS GET
‘ON THEIR BIKES’ TO RAISE
MONEY FOR CHARITY
Five hundred new homes will be built at Wirral Waters
following the exchange of contracts between developers
Peel L&P, the Legacy Foundation and Wirral Council. A team of Cheshire Freemasons has recently completed
the challenging cycle ride from Chester to London along
the canal paths of England, raising £22,000 for local good
causes along the way. The group consisted of 16 riders
and 2 more in the support team. Given the rough terrain
and general riding conditions, an average of 40 - 50 miles
a day was completed over 6 days.
The £90m development, known as Wirral Waters One, will be a
distinctive, high-quality residential project of 500 one and two-
bedroom apartments, plus 100 affordable homes. The development will
also include dock edge walkways, gardens and terraces for residents as
well as a better pedestrian walkways and cycleway connections.
Wirral Waters One will be the first of a number of residential schemes
coming forward along the Northbank neighbourhood area at Wirral
Waters.
Richard Mawdsley, director of development for Wirral Waters at Peel
L&P, said: “This exchange of contracts follows on from the planning
approval which was granted by Wirral Council back in December.
It’s a significant step forward and another hurdle overcome for this
ground-breaking residential scheme. We are acutely aware of the
demand for local housing and are keen to get this build underway
as soon as possible. We anticipate remediation work starting on site
in the autumn and hope to have the build itself underway shortly
thereafter.”
Birkenhead MP, Frank Field, who has been instrumental in the
development of Wirral Waters One, said: “This is most welcome
news. Andrew Forsey, in my parliamentary office, initiated the idea,
suggesting that I approach Legacy to see if they would be interested
in investing in new housing in Birkenhead. We then set up a meeting
with the Council to make that idea become reality.
“We are now promised not only 500 homes on brownfield land, in
this initial stage, but also large numbers of jobs and apprenticeships
and, hopefully, the prospect of many more homes being built in and
around that site in the future.”
10 wirrallife.com
Apart from the odd ‘summer’ storm, a few riders falling in the canal
and of course the odd wrong turn (yes you can still do that on canal
towpaths), the event was a great success with an added bonus of raising
a great deal of money for charity. During the ride, many conversations
with members of the public took place and the event was followed
across many social media platforms with nightly blogs and updates
streamed live.
The riders came from all across Cheshire and several businesses
sponsored the team shirts to help support logistical costs such as
travel, accommodation and food.
The ride was planned following a challenge set by the Head of Cheshire
Freemasons, Stephen Blank, to members to organise events to support
the Cheshire Freemasons Charity. Senior Freemason John Miller was
first to step forward and developed the bike ride initiative, which soon
became known as the Q2Q – going from Queen Street Masonic Hall in
Chester to the United Garand Lodge of England at Great Queen Street
London, following the Shropshire Union Canal to Wolverhampton,
then the routes through Birmingham, picking up the Grand Union
Canal near Solihull and following that into the heart of London, some
230 miles.
Senior Freemasons and dignitaries were at the start of the ride and
Stephen was there at the end to pour a well-earned glass of fizz for
the shattered adventurers. In the last 12 months or so, Cheshire
Freemasons have given approximately £1million to good causes,
nationally Freemasons gave approximately £48million during the
same period.