'Wotsit Street' scheme backlash prompts review

The repainting of a busy road with bright yellow and orange shapes is to be reviewed after locals dubbed it "Wotsit Street" because of its resemblance to the cheesy corn puffs brand.

The bold design - which aims to slow traffic on Grange Road West in Birkenhead - covers most of the pavement and swirls on to the road in a sweeping curve, with orange planters and benches placed on top.

Wirral Council's environment and transport chair Liz Grey explained the original plans featured cream paint on the road but cost-cutting measures had led to it being left black.

"If it had matched the rest of Grange Road with the cream and stone on the road, it might have been more popular," she said.

Grey said the regeneration work in Birkenhead town centre had gone over budget and were "the result of errors by people who have now left".

She said she understood why people were angry, despite large areas of the town centre having been improved.

Grey admitted Grange Road West "looks like orange plastic rubbish".

It is now under review, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The scheme, carried out in 2025 using grant funding, is part of the wider regeneration of Birkenhead, approved by the council in 2023.

When first introduced, the council said it was "an eye-catching but straightforward way of changing the dynamics of the street".

The local authority now has 12 months to work out what to do with the road.

A public consultation has been launched.

The Bidston and St James Labour Party said the original design had enjoyed cross-party support and the road could be "easily be returned to its former appearance if that's what people want".

It said "the new teams are keen to listen to local people".

Birkenhead MP Alison McGovern said she was "not immune to how it feels to walk through Grange Road West".

She said she did not ever want to talk down Birkenhead with its "great culture" and "incredible architecture" but people had told her "they support places to sit out but they don't believe this was what was promised".

She is also requesting feedback on the design.

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