A Merseyside council will look for millions of pounds externally to fund major works needed to save a town's "treasure". West Kirby's marine lake brings people to the Wirral from all around the country, but issues are putting its future at risk.
At a December 2 environment committee meeting, Wirral councillors gave officers permission to find the necessary external funding to repair the lake's outer wall, empty the lake, and dredge the 70,000 cubic metres of sand and silt at the bottom. A report before elected members said if the council does nothing, large areas of the lake could become unusable, putting its future in doubt.
The officer report said there was also a risk further degradation of the outer wall will compromise it "resulting in closure of the walkway." However Mike Cockburn, environment lead commissioner, said the wall was in no immediate danger of being lost.
Last week, people told the ECHO they feared "there will be nothing left" in their Merseyside town and urged Wirral Council to take action. The lake is popular both for watersports users as well as those who walk its outer wall with thousands of visitors.
West Kirby councillor Jenny Johnson called for action as soon as possible and criticised what she sees as a lack of maintenance. She said the lake was a huge asset for the town and brings people from as far away as Scotland.
She raised concerns about the impact on any future operator of the lake as the council looks to outsource, adding: "There are reports here from 2019, 2020 and 2024 and yet still no action. Yet again there's a call for another management report, yet more money."
However councillor Steve Foulkes said: "We're between a rock literally and a hard place. It's difficult to find funds. We have various requests on the budget coming left right and centre," adding the council needed to come together to find external funding.
Cllr Foulkes argued the issue should not become a political football. He said: "Nobody around this table wants to see the loss of that lake. Nobody doesn't believe it's a treasure. We all enjoy it, everybody on the Wirral and beyond."
If the local authority can find funding, the council will repair 1km of the wall while dredging 70,000 cubic metres from the lake at the same time. In total, these works could cost between £3.9m and £6.3m.
Neighbourhoods director Jason Gooding said due to the council's financial position, officers will be looking externally. Recent reports published by the council said the current budget crisis is being driven by rising costs related to adult social care.
Despite the lake having issues with invasive seaweed in the past, the latest report said it no longer is as much of an issue for lake users. The species Sargassum Muticum can also be found elsewhere in the Dee Estuary, making it easier for the council to dredge the lake.
However, permissions will need to be sought from organisations like Natural England, which regulates protected areas like the Dee. It is expected any activities will have to take place between April to September to avoid any impact on wintering birds, with April 2027 labelled the earliest start date.
Going forward, the council will also develop a beach management strategy to address issues around wind blown sand both at the marine lake and across the north Wirral coast.
While rising sand levels can protect coastlines against storms, this is leading to "an increase in windblown sand problems" as more land dries out.