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Angry shouts echoed through Wirral Council's chamber during a meeting this week as councillors rejected a New Ferry regeneration option that many residents - specifically 83 percent - prefer.
According to Birkenhead News, almost ten years after the tragic gas explosion that rocked the area, the Environment, Climate Emergency, and Transport Committee chose a cheaper scheme using coloured tarmac rather than the bespoke tiles favoured by locals.
A public discussion showed residents vastly preferred the more expensive and colourful option. Despite the support, councillors backed officers' recommendations for a scheme using coloured tarmac, which is prominent on West Kirby's promenade.
Angry residents filled the meeting hoping to sway councillors to invest in the more expensive scheme. Christopher Lee Power told the committee: "We are being asked to make a choice. Not between good and bad. But between investing in excellence or accepting compromise.
He continued, "Choosing one of the cutback options is like commissioning a beautiful piece of art, then deciding halfway through to finish it with the cheapest materials available. The shape may still be there, but the quality, the beauty and the impact are lost. We are passing the cost on to future generations."
Mark Anthony Craig, chair of the New Ferry Residents' Association, added: "The community has spoken. It's New Ferry's turn to have the high-quality scheme."
According to reports, the meeting was a heated one. Residents were repeatedly asked to be quiet as shouts of "shame" and disapproving words came from the room.
Green Party councillor Jo Bird, who represents the area, thanked residents for attending and backed the premium option, calling it the "last piece of the jigsaw" for New Ferry's regeneration.
However, Councillor Ann Ainsworth, Labour councillor for Pensby and Thingwall, raised concerns about the longer construction period that the premium option requires. She pointed out councillors have to consider appropriate spending when it comes to regeneration, and they have to take "fiscal responsibility".
The public support did not sway the committee, as they voted in line with officers' recommendations. Apparently, as residents left the chamber, there were shouts of "Shame on you" and those who asked why there was even a consultation in the first place.
The heartbreaking explosion occurred in March 2017 and is considered to be the largest explosion in Merseyside since World War 2. The gas explosion reportedly destroyed 11 retail properties, and over 80 people sustained injuries from the blast. Over 100 residential properties were also destroyed by the blast.
