Birkenhead has been in decline for decades, but bright green shoots of recovery are now appearing.
Not only has Wirral Council secured £144m in government funding for a new market, new food and drink outlets, more than a thousand homes and much more, but new businesses are reinvigorating the town and providing more things for people to do.
But Birkenhead’s MP Mick Whitley has said his "optimism is tempered by caution" as Wirral Council deal with £20m worth of cuts it has to make to its day-to-day spending this year. The budget gap could see Woodchurch Leisure Centre, 11 libraries and more closed down.
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Chris Torpey is one of the directors of Future Yard, a music venue on Argyle Street which he believes can bring the community together.
Mr Torpey said: “Our aim is not just to be a 7pm-11pm venue, we are open all day, every day as a community resource.
“We want to be something people feel is theirs, they can shape it.
“ Birkenhead has been forgotten about for a long period with no attention given to it, but we want to reinvigorate it and give people a chance to do it in the way they want to.”
He said music had a key role to play in this, but the venue did much else besides.
Mr Torpey added: “Music brings people together and it is a great vehicle for conversation. You can have that personal inner experience and look someone in the eye and feel that connection.
“But hopefully our impact will be broader than hosting really good nights. We have coffee, drinks and lots of work space if people want to come in and work here.
“The garden space is great in the summer time as well. If people want to come down and use the studio in the basement and maybe have some drinks in a chilled atmosphere they can.
“There’s something for everyone, music is one part of it and not all of it.”
But Mr Torpey was clear that Future Yard cannot bring about Birkenhead’s cultural revival on its own, it needs other businesses such as restaurants, cafes and bookstores to open up in the area to drive the town forward.
Birkenhead’s MP Mick Whitley said the £144m awarded to the town for regeneration was welcome and spoke about the progress he sees in Birkenhead.
The Labour MP said: “The £144m from the likes of the Future High Streets and Town Deal Funds can have an impact and I am delighted to see the plans for the renovation of Woodside as a vibrant tourist destination, the plans for a new market to help revive the shopping centre and the improvements to our infrastructure will open up the town and provide connectivity.
“And I am made up to see the successful growth of cultural initiatives like Future Yard and Bloom.
“Together with the new homes, office buildings and Dock Branch Park, all of this can change the face of Birkenhead. At long last I can see cranes across the Birkenhead skyline instead of stepladders outside crumbling buildings. We are building a better Birkenhead.”
But there is another side to the coin.
Wirral Council has lost more than £200m in its grant funding from the government since 2010 and this has meant the authority has had to make cuts to services people rely on.
This year, Wirral Council needs to save £20m in its upcoming budget, something it plans to do by closing Woodchurch Leisure Centre, 11 libraries, two golf courses and more, although the proposals could yet be rejected.
Given this, the Birkenhead MP added: “But my optimism is tempered by caution. At the same time as we are regenerating the structures we are also facing severe budget cuts to council services.
“In one of the poorest towns in the country – with two of the most deprived wards – the Government is paying Peter to regenerate but robbing Paul with its long term strategy of bleeding the funds available for vital public services from our councils.
“Regeneration must ensure people have access to libraries, leisure centres and support services where they live and not just to new shops and offices in the town centre.”
Another key part of Birkenhead’s future could be Make CIC (Community Interest Company).
Make CIC is developing spaces where people, such as hobbyists, work and try to take their business to the next level.
It is another part of Birkenhead’s green shoots of cultural recovery.
Liam Kelly, chief executive of Make CIC, said the future of town centres will be more about people going in to do things, rather than to buy products as they may have done in the days when big chain stores dominated high streets across the country.
Make CIC has bases in Liverpool and one on Cleveland Street in Birkenhead, which is called Make Hamilton Square.
Giving an example from Make Hamilton Square, Mr Kelly said: “Our life drawing classes sell out. People go and indulge in recreation and art, plus some cheese and wine.
“These [sorts of events] need to be in a physical place. High street retail stores said people would come in to try on clothes, but they just tried them on at home and sent them back.
“[Whereas] needs such as people having their hair or nails done, something slightly more indulgent and less about a product, that is something that can work.”
Make Hamilton Square provides affordable spaces for creatives to work and supports them to develop their businesses.
Mr Kelly gave the example of a pillow maker who thinks they might be able to make a business out of it. He said Make Hamilton Square has a supportive community which helps such businesses develop.
Mr Kelly added: “There’s a social aspect to it. Interaction is important for people’s mental health.”
The broader picture is that Make Hamilton Square is part of a big change in our town centres, where premises go from places where people sell things to places where people do things.
Mr Kelly said: “That’s what we’re part of, our community of creators."
The ECHO went to Birkenhead to ask people what they thought could bring the town back to life.
Owen Butler, 60, from Oxton, said Birkenhead had “gone downhill” over the years, with less businesses opening.
But Mr Butler mentioned some positives also, saying that Future Yard was doing well. He also liked the idea of Birkenhead Market leaving its current base and reopening at the former House of Fraser building, the place the market is set to move to within the next three years.
But he added that he thought the main shopping centre in the town centre had not been able to stop the flow of people deciding to go to Liverpool instead.
Mr Butler said Birkenhead needed new shops and new ideas if it was to be turned around.
Jenny, who did not want to give her surname, agreed that there needed to be more shops in the town centre.
But she thought there was another part of the picture.
Discussing the council’s plans to close Woodchurch Leisure Centre and the fun pool at Europa Pools, Jenny said: “Why are they doing it? What are the kids going to do in the summer?”
Jenny thought that this had an affect on the town overall and its appeal as a place for families.
Others thought the appearance of the town was an issue, with the way it looked given the number of boarded up shops being a real issue.
Tom Armstrong, 26, said: “I think we need restaurants. But it’s also about investment, the town seems really dated.”
Erin Ashley, 22, agreed. She said the town needs “a bit of a refurb, something to bring you in”.
Work on the first part of major plans to regenerate Birkenhead, two top quality office spaces, began at the end of January.
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Cllr Tony Jones, chair of Wirral Council’s economy and development committee, praised the landmark moment and thought it was a sign of things to come.
Speaking last month, the Labour councillor said: “Building high-quality office space in the town centre will play a key role in changing the way that people use the town, which will benefit existing businesses and lead to new commercial opportunities.”
The Labour councillor added: “The start of work on site is a clear sign of the progress we’re making to secure the future of Birkenhead town centre.”
