Wirral Council is to sell property it owns in West Kirby to help balance its books and stave off potential government intervention.
The building occupied by Tanskey’s in Coronation Gardens and an ice cream kiosk and former toilet block on Dee Lane will be put for sale, following approval by the Policy and Resources committee at a recent meeting.
Both will be sold with sitting tenants, meaning they will be able to continue trading.
Thirty acres of grazing land at The Carrs near Birkenhead Road in Meols was removed from the list after concerns that developers could apply to build on it
The assets are among around two dozen sites across the borough believed to be worth £12.3 million which have to be sold off.
The money is needed to pay back borrowing the council took out in 2020/21 and 2021/22 to set a balanced budget.
Failing to pay the loan back could see what is known as a Section 114 notice being issued by Director of Finance, Matthew Bennett, which would put a freeze on any spending over and above services that the council has a legal obligation to deliver.
Matthew Bennett told the committee that the council’s financial position is “precarious” and, as it will take some time to sell the assets, there is an imperative for this [decision] to be moved quite quickly”.
Councillor Jean Robinson requested that The Carrs in Meols should not be included, due to the fact it is in the green belt, and a fear that developers may seek to build on it in the future.
She said: “It doesn’t necessarily mean that they would actually protect it because people will still then in years to come potentially [put a planning application in].”
Cllr Robinson’s concerns were shared by Conservative leader, Cllr Jeff Green, who described it as “bizarre” to be selling greenbelt land when the council has a policy of only building on sites which have been previously developed.
David Hughes, Director of Place, responded that the council doesn’t want to be managing agricultural land, and that restrictions can be put in place to prevent an application that is not in line with its planning policies.
But, following a discussion, council leader, Cllr Paul Stuart, backed removing it from the list, saying it sent out a message that the local authority wants to protect its green belt.
