Liverpool‑area urban projects move forward: Dock Branch Park and Williamson Square fountains

Wirral Council has provided an update on the £15 million Dock Branch Park in Birkenhead, a linear greenway inspired by New York’s High Line. The scheme, part of the Birkenhead 2040 Framework, will follow a disused railway line linking the docks to Green Lane station. Funding is being secured from a £1.6 billion pot allocated to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and site remediation work is under way before a construction contract is signed. The southern section is slated to be built first, featuring a shared walking and cycling route, new seating, landscaping, tree planting and play areas.

In Liverpool, council officials and the Liverpool BID Company are discussing the re‑activation of the Williamson Square fountains, a double‑arch water feature installed in 2004 at a cost of about £1.1 million. After years of inactivity, recent engineering tests suggest the fountains could be restored with relatively minor maintenance. Funding negotiations are ongoing, but no firm date has been set for the fountains to be switched back on.