Residents of the £130m Millers Quay development on Birkenhead's docks have given an overwhelmingly positive verdict on life in the new waterfront homes, praising the community spirit and modern flats while acknowledging the area still lacks amenities.
The six brightly coloured apartment blocks, known collectively as Millers Quay, have added 500 new homes to the dockside. The scheme is one of the first parts of Peel's major Wirral Waters development, which aims to transform underutilised land into a bustling waterfront district.
Community and views praised by first residents
Harley Muirhead, a Millers Quay resident, said: "It's great living here, there's a strong sense of community here already. From living here, I've made so many new friends and we've set up a dog walking group."
She added: "The flats themselves are really modern, we're the first people to have moved into them so they're all clean and top spec."
Fellow resident Ellie Rose Rainford echoed the sentiment: "I think it's lovely here. I love it. It's an amazing view of all the water and the people are really nice. I think there already is a community here. We've got a group chat that people are always messaging in."
Development described as catalyst for Wirral Waters
Richard Mawdsley, director of development at Wirral Waters, told the ECHO the now occupied residential development is "acting as a real catalyst" for the rest of the Wirral Waters plans. He said Millers Quay has proven "there is a market for this type of development in Wirral," creating both occupier and investor confidence.
Mr Mawdsley added: "The Sainsbury's Local that opened in the summer, alongside a pipeline of other projects - the David Lloyd (leisure club), MEA Park West and more residential – means we have delivery momentum at Wirral Waters that we really need to see continuing."
Residents look forward to more amenities
Residents acknowledged they have moved to the area 'ahead of the curve', as the Wirral Waters scheme remains in its infancy. Harley said: "The only thing I would say is we need more stuff in the area. We've got the new Sainsbury's and that's been great, but other than that there is a lack of other things to do so if you don't have a car, I'd say it's quite difficult to be here, but otherwise it's been great."
Similarly, neighbour Jackie Snell said she is looking forward to seeing more amenities such as coffee shops and bars pop up in the area.
