Table of Contents
Wirral has been given £3 million from a new Government fund to bring long-empty and derelict buildings back into use.
The amount is huge - it is the largest amount any council can receive from the Derelict Buildings Fund, which was announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Wednesday, 28 October.
The £125 million fund will give £120 million directly to 60 councils in England, with allocations ranging from £1 million to £3 million. The other £5 million is for specialist support.
Councils were selected based on having the highest levels of employment deprivation. The money was then divided according to the council's population, with a cap at £3 million.
Wirral is one of 11 councils getting the maximum amount. Sefton gets £2.71m, St Helens £1.79m, Knowsley £1.55m and Halton £1.24m.
Government guidance says the money can be used for buying, restoration, and reusing empty buildings like: shops, offices, department stores, pubs, theatres, cinemas, and inactive places of worship and heritage buildings.
Buildings on high streets and in town or district centres should come first. The council does not have to own a building for it to qualify.
The guidance says councils should focus on buildings that communities feel bring down the area, have become a focus for anti-social behaviour such as vandalism, or are holding back other development.
The council could spend the money on several buildings or one large project.
By the end of 2026, councils should start asking residents for their views and draw up a longlist of buildings. The first progress report to the Government is due by April 2027, with the first delivery payment expected between April and June 2027.
The fund runs until 2030.
In August, councillors approved plans to turn a derelict Birkenhead gym into a 24-bed HMO.
