Trowers & Hamlins has advised Wirral Borough Council on an exciting new collaboration for the Wirral Transport Museum & Heritage Tramway.
The Council has granted local Community Interest Company (CIC), Big Heritage, a lease for the museum building by the Council alongside an operation agreement for the management of the heritage tramway facilities. The museum will be run by the staff and volunteers at Big Heritage CIC who are heritage and museum experts.
Wirral Transport Museum is a working museum and hosts a collection of historic trams, buses, cars, motorcycles and cycles. The site also comprises of a working heritage tramway that passes through the local area to Woodside Ferry Terminal. The Museum is part of a wider programme to reconnect Woodside to Hamilton Square and the rest of Birkenhead.
Trowers & Hamlins advised the Council on the real estate and commercial aspects of the transaction, including preparing the leases and commercial agreements for the operation of the site.
The Trowers & Hamlins team, comprising lawyers from multiple specialisms, was led by Partner Chris Plumley, with Senior Associate Pete Bond leading real estate and Associate Gemma Fairbrother advising on the commercial aspects.
Pete Bond commented:
"The team here at Trowers is delighted to have advised Wirral Borough Council on this exciting collaboration. The successful outcome for all parties is testimony to the cross-team approach the firm takes for our clients in complex matters such as this. We wish Big Heritage every success with their running of the Museum."
David Ball, Assistant Director Special Projects within Wirral Borough Council, said:
"This was a complex asset transfer requiring legal advice on property matters and specialist advice relating to tramway operations and regulatory matters. Trowers & Hamlins was able to provide all the required legal and specialist advice from their team of professional and experienced lawyers. Their approach towards finding solutions to issues was invaluable in making the transfer process a success. Throughout they were always accessible and responded promptly to all the requirements from the Council. I would definitely use them again and they worked very effectively with all members of the Council’s project team."
