Extra £4.4m approved for West Kirby sea wall

An extra £4.4m in funding for a sea wall in Merseyside has been approved.

The scheme at West Kirby is in the final stages of construction, but the budget has risen to £15.9m.

Despite some disagreement, councillors at Wirral Council all voted to approve the extra money

The funding, which will come from the Environment Agency, will cover rising material costs, additional ground works and the temporary relocation of the RNLI during construction.

The sea wall will stretch for 1.15km (0.7 of a mile) with the aim of protecting houses from flooding and saving lives during serious storms, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Conservative councillors have criticised the scheme for impacting businesses, which have been affected by a drop in footfall linked to the construction, and have questioned the case for the wall.

Tony Cox, who previously said it was "making businesses face ruin", asked about the wider impact on the town.

However, Labour councillor Steve Foulkes argued public opinion would shift and the wall would be seen as a success in the long run.

"The justification for the wall is apparent. We live in a climate that is raising sea levels and the risk of flooding has been described by the Environment Agency", he said.

"I think there's a little bit of egg on a number of people's faces because they railed against the design, they railed against everything around this project and now it's taking shape and people can see it.

"It's actually going to become a future feature of the area."

Councillors also voted to ask the audit and risk management committee, which scrutinises council decisions, to look at the scheme.

The wall is scheduled to be largely finished by the end of April with a grand opening event in May.

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