People believe a new Merseyrail station will be a big positive and massive gamechanger for the area
One person said the Woodchurch is “a good place to live, it really is and I think it will be really uplifted.”(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A massive investment in one area of Merseyside could help some children go to the beach for the very first time.
Further investment has been earmarked for the Woodchurch estate as part of a £1.6bn package announced for the Liverpool City Region by the UK Government. Alongside the roll out of a publicly owned bus network, funding was announced to build a new Woodchurch train station, which has been sought after for more than a decade.
On top of this, the ECHO has previously reported increased train services between Wrexham and Bidston to two trains per hour could be introduced within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of four trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035.
The exact location of a station is still to be confirmed as plans are in their early stages but it’s understood the project is expected to get through planning by 2030, though spades might not be in the ground by then. A promise by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram last year was taken with a pinch of salt on the estate but now the funding is there for it.
Set to benefit the most from the new station are Fender Primary school pupils Finley Howard, Paulina Kolodziej, and Elise Fowell. For Finley, who supports Liverpool, the changes will mean he can go to the football more easily as well as shops and restaurants in the city.
At the moment if they want to go to Liverpool by public transport, they have to get at least two buses or a bus then a train. With only one bus through the estate, it is harder to go out for the day both because of cost but the time it takes to get places too.
Direct trains to Liverpool could save money on school trips but also mean it’s easier to get to Wales. They also felt it might make more people want to stay in the area as well as discover the estate for themselves.
Fender Primary school pupils said the new train station would give them more options(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Elise said: “People are really friendly, everyone knows each other,” adding: “A lot of people think the estate is quite a dump and really bad but it’s not. It will make people realise it doesn’t matter what it looks like, it’s a community.”
Despite being only four miles from the sea, the school said a small number of its pupils had never been to the beach. Emma Simms, a staff member, said: “A lot of the children do not have the opportunities to leave the estate whether that is for days out or holidays.
“We have conversations with children who have never been on the trains. You expect children to be excited about trains but how can they without that knowledge?”
Sue Lee felt the new station would bring more value and investment to the Woodchurch(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Staff at the school said a new station would cut down on time, open up school, University, and job opportunities, and give children more life experiences. Sue Lee, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said: “Just trying to get off the Wirral at all is a tricky one.
“You can but then you have to go to Birkenhead to get the train somewhere. This just enhances all your options.”
She said her daughter was an athlete and in the past, sometimes they had to get taxis to competitions because there were just no other options, adding: “A lot of children do not get off the estate. If there is something right there it makes it a lot easier to go to places they might not necessarily go to.”
“I think quite a lot of people do feel the Woodchurch isn’t on the top of the list. They might feel recognised in that there is something being put into the area where they live.
“The school works a lot on building pride in our own community and this perhaps supports that. You feel like people are interested in your area and your community rather than always having to go somewhere else to get what you need. It makes you feel a bit more valued.”
After the loss of its library and leisure centre, she hopes the train stations could help bring more money into the area too, adding: “A lot of people feel things get taken away rather than being added.
“With the new station, that is putting a bit of value back and makes people feel they have got a sense of belonging in an area because investment is taking place and then that will have a trickle on effect to whatever replaces the centre down there.”
However there’s still some scepticism after years of promises. Maureen Cain said: “It’s a good place to live, it really is and I think it will be really uplifted,” but added: “Until it’s there we are all the same. We have been promised that much for years.
“Until it happens, no one will be jumping for joy. I think people get fed up and think that until it happens, we aren’t going to be happy about it.”
Echoing what many had told the ECHO, Cllr Jerry Williams, who grew up on the estate, said connectivity was one of the most important issues on the estate, adding: “we have had a lot of positivity. It’s because there’s a degree of isolation on a lot of the estate. While some of the bus services are okay, to add this service and have a station there is really going to transform things.“There’s going to be some criticisms as well but you can only look at it with total positivity.”
When the funding was announced, it was welcomed by top politicians in Wirral. Matthew Patrick, Wirral West’s MP and former councillor for the area, said: “I won’t ever let the Woodchurch be an afterthought. People here deserve good jobs, better transport links, stronger schools and great leisure services.”