Apartments plan for former fire station

Being phased out: West Kirby fire station

The former West Kirby Fire Station could be replaced by apartments.

Developer Blueoak Estates has written to local residents living around the site asking for views on a scheme which they are set to submit to council planners in the next few weeks.

It would see 32 new build flats constructed, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms, with private balconies.

The firm says the majority of the development would be 4.5 storeys high with an environmentally friendly green roof.

The site would include parking spaces, electric vehicle charging points and space for cycles.

Proposed site layout

The developer says the scheme will help meet the demand for new housing and relieve pressure to build on green field land

The information sent to locals adds: “Six of the new apartments will be either Shared Ownership or Affordable Rent affordable homes with priority being given to young people”.

In a statement, Blueoak Estates told us: “Engaging with the local community is a fundamental part of our role as an inclusive developer and Blueoak Estates is always open to feedback on our proposed schemes.

“The redundant land at the former West Kirby Fire Station not only offers a great opportunity to utilise an existing brownfield site and deliver much-needed housing but also act as a catalyst for urban regeneration within West Kirby Town centre.”

West Kirby Fire Station closed in 2016 due to budget cuts, with a replacement later built in Saughall Massie.

Last year, Wirral Council approved an application by computer software firm Sisra to convert the building into a new home for 30 staff with a shop unit on the ground floor, but the scheme was never progressed.