Wirral Council officers said their New York counterparts were keen on the idea to recognise the link between the two
Wirral Council will not invest £1.5m to support one of its own parks to prepare it for the world stage. Instead the local authority will try to find external funding in order to move forward Birkenhead Park’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage Status.
The local authority’s hoping to spend nearly £1m upgrading the park for the first time in 20 years, with the rest of the money to go towards supporting other costs related to the bid which has been in the pipeline since 2017. Birkenhead Park, sometimes known as the People’s Garden, was first opened on April 5 1847 as a park to be enjoyed by everyone in the community.
It is acknowledged as the world’s first publicly-funded park. It was designed by Joseph Paxton and it went on to influence other famous parks such as Sefton Park in Liverpool and Central Park in New York. Just after its 176th birthday on April 10 2023, the UK government announced a shortlist of seven sites it would be putting forward for UNESCO World Heritage status including Birkenhead and now Wirral Council’s bid for the site is being developed with the government along with four others.
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The government is understood to be “very positive” about the bid and officers said the current timeline of potential status by 2027 was “the blink of an eye” compared to the time it usually takes. Officers said it will be the first site to be nominated for the current list of UK sites.
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While it is still moving the bid forward with further documents expected to be sent to the government on September 20, council officers asked councillors not to approve a recommendation for the local authority to spend the money itself on the park for the time being. This is because of a freeze that has been put in place which restricts spending which is considered non-essential.
Director of Neighbourhood Services Jason Gooding said due to the council’s current situation, he didn’t think it would be realistic to ask for the money “that the council doesn’t have at the moment.” However if the search for external funding is unsuccessful, a decision on whether the council would fund it itself will be pushed back a year if things have improved for the local authority.
He added: “I am sure members will understand that asking the council to allocate resources that aren’t there to a project we really wish to proceed with is not the route to success.”
While the council is in the early stages of looking for funding externally, Mr Gooding said he was optimistic they could be found because of the park’s status as well as the association with UNESCO World Heritage status if the bid is successful. However he did not disclose any details of who was interested, adding: “I do not want to paint any potential contributors into a corner by naming any names or types of organisations that maybe wish to contribute and be associated with this.”
Councillors at a tourism, communities, culture and leisure committee agreed to seek external funding to support the bid. Officer Rob Belcher said even getting on the UK shortlist for the status was the “formal first step on the ladder,” adding: “If you are not in the waiting room, you are not going any further.”
It’s currently estimated around 2m people visit the park annually but it’s thought when assessments are done to get a more accurate figure, the actual figure will be much higher. A UNESCO status would boost this even more and it was pointed out the park’s ParkRun was the third largest in the country with 700 to 800 people attending every weekend.
While the bid could face delays if the council can’t find other funding, officers said staff at Central Park in New York were also open to the idea of twinning with Birkenhead to highlight the latter’s inspiration for the world famous park. Central Park is also aiming to get UNESCO World Heritage and it’s planned for the link to be highlighted in an upcoming visit to New York by Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.
Cllr Jerry Williams pointed to the park’s inspiration for green spaces across the world, adding: “Birkenhead Park is absolutely vital and to get this status is vital to us and so important. Hopefully we get this through the various hurdles.”
Councillors at the same meeting reviewed reports from Trading Standards about enforcement activity taken by the local authority, future plans for the Floral Pavilion, and an update on libraries and two golf courses closed down in 2022.
