Plans for the second phase of a £60m mixed-use regeneration scheme at New Brighton, Merseyside, has received a cash boost from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The agency will contribute £3.9m to enable Neptune Developments and Wirral Council to move forward with land remediation and public realm improvements as part of Phase Two of the project. A 14-hectare (35-acre) stretch of the New Brighton seafront will be transformed under plans for the latest phase, which will include a hotel, an outdoor lido and leisure facilities, including a cinema, a fitness centre, restaurants and bars.

NWDA chief executive Steven Broomhead said: "Brand New Brighton is the largest single transformational project in the wider Mersey Waterfront Regional Park initiative and a significant signature project for the Liverpool city-region. "The NWDA's investment in Phase 2 of the programme will build on the achievements of the first phase of the project, which delivered the stunning Floral Pavilion."

Steve Parry, managing director of Neptune Developments, added: "This will undoubtedly provide a great boost to the local economy in this difficult time, as already achieved by Phase One. We will continue to work closely with Wirral Council to create a new New Brighton for the people of Wirral."