Delayed wetlands restoration to begin next summer

Work on restoring a 24-hectare wetland site which was due to start this year is now set to begin in summer 2026, a wildlife trust has said.

A grazing marsh between West Kirby and Hoylake in Wirral, Merseyside, will be restored by Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) working with Wirral Council.

The trust said the project will reduce the area's flood risk and support wildlife in the Dee Estuary, which is an internationally important habitat for migrating birds.

CWT nature recovery programme manager, Hannah Phillips said: "Holding water on site year-round will make it a haven for waterfowl and wading birds."

She said the project would "demonstrate how nature-based solutions can work in practice, delivering benefits for biodiversity and alleviating the impacts of flooding for our communities in tandem".

Historically the site was a functioning wetland and its restoration would follow historic lines still visible in the ground where the river once flowed, said Ms Phillips.

"The project will aim to turn back time while giving a new lease of life to this important and declining habitat," she explained.

The project, which is at a site previously known as Hoylake Carrs, will involve reconnecting a section of the River Birket with its floodplain.

A CWT spokesperson said the newly created wetland habitat would support wetland birds including black tailed godwit and curlew which travelled inland from feeding grounds on the Dee and Mersey Estuaries.

Work on the site, funded by the Environment Agency's natural flood management programme, is expected to take several weeks to complete.

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