Delayed wetlands restoration to begin next summer

Plans to restore a 24-hectare wetland in Wirral have been pushed back, with work now expected to start in summer 2026, according to Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

The project focuses on a grazing marsh located between West Kirby and Hoylake, which will be restored by the trust in partnership with Wirral Council. Originally scheduled to begin this year, the scheme aims to reduce local flood risk while enhancing habitats within the Dee Estuary, a site of international importance for migratory birds.

Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s nature recovery programme manager, Hannah Phillips, said retaining water on the land throughout the year would create an ideal environment for waterfowl and wading birds. She added that the scheme would showcase how nature-based approaches can simultaneously boost biodiversity and help protect communities from flooding.

Ms Phillips explained that the area was once an active wetland, and the restoration will follow historic channels that remain visible where the river previously ran. The aim, she said, is to revive a habitat that has declined over time while respecting the site’s natural history.

The scheme, located on land formerly known as Hoylake Carrs, will involve reconnecting part of the River Birket to its natural floodplain. According to the trust, the restored wetland will provide valuable inland habitat for species such as black-tailed godwit and curlew, which feed on the Dee and Mersey estuaries.

Funded through the Environment Agency’s natural flood management programme, construction work on the site is expected to take several weeks once it begins.