Wallasey and Birkenhead town halls ‘for sale’

Lambert Smith Hampton has posted adverts for Grade II* listed buildings

Birkenhead and Wallasey town halls are being listed for sale as both of the historic buildings are marketed to developers. Wirral Council is currently looking at whether there is anyone interested in buying the buildings off it.

Two adverts have been posted by the council’s commissioned property consultants Lambert Smith Hampton for both of the Grade II* listed buildings. Birkenhead’s town hall sits in the heart of Hamilton Square while Wallasey’s overlooks the River Mersey on Brighton Street in Seacombe.

Brochures attached to the adverts say both town halls are “for sale” with a range of photos showcasing the inside and the outside of the buildings. Overall, Wallasey has a total floor space of 7,864 metres while Birkenhead has a floor space of 4,415 metres.

Both town halls are more than 100 years old with Wallasey’s built in 1916 while Birkenhead’s was constructed in 1887. However, Birkenhead Town Hall closed in 2025 as part of budget cuts that year with services moved over to Wallasey.

Earlier this year, the local authority looked at options about what to do with both landmarks going forward as part of a wider review of the land and buildings it owns. Councillors on March 11 decided to see what market interest there is in both buildings “to gain a better understanding of the viability of a sale of the assets in the current market”.

Elected members were told the council was looking to move as quickly as possible on the matter and further recommendations could be made later this year.

Despite the assets being listed for sale, the March report put before councillors said: “There is no commitment to sell either property at this stage. Any recommendation to sell would be presented at future meetings.

“This will ensure the committee understands what options are available to it and take a step closer to understanding the council’s future needs and the potential future use of these assets.”

At the time, it was estimated it costs the council £803,674 a year to run Wallasey Town Hall while Birkenhead Town Hall is costing £357,935 to maintain despite being closed. On top of this, condition surveys done in May 2024 revealed the buildings need at least £10m of work over the next decade.

The Lambert Smith Hampton brochure also said that to appoint someone to purchase the buildings would require the council “to seek internal approvals to proceed with a disposal”, adding the council “is not bound to accept the highest or any offer and reserves the right to enter into negotiations with any party”.

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