COMMUTERS will be able to park for free when travelling by ferry between Seacombe and Liverpool under plans to bring a world-famous science and discovery centre to Wirral.

Eureka! Mersey is due to open in two years' time, situated in the iconic terminal building that previously housed Spaceport.

Changes to the car park will come into effect once the attraction is opened, meaning museum visitors will have to pay for parking.

After this date those with weekly, monthly and yearly travel tickets - who use Seacombe to travel to Liverpool - will still benefit from free parking once the centre opens.

Until Eureka! Mersey opens there will be no charge to use the car park.

Commuters will still be able to cycle to the Seacombe and take their bicycle across to Liverpool to continue their ride.

As part of a major new cycle route from Birkenhead to New Brighton, due to be completed by 2023, a connection will also be made to Seacombe Ferry Terminal via St Paul’s Road to help people to cycle to Eureka.

Merseytravel currently leases two areas of land from Wirral Council adjacent to the Seacombe Ferry Terminal which are aimed at helping the movement of commuters by providing car parking for the ferry, and this will continue when the museum opens. The system for allocating these spaces is still being determined.

However, Eureka will need to charge its visitors for parking to ensure it can meet its business plan and operate sustainably.

The museum is intended to be a world-class visitor attraction for 6 to 14-year-olds, with an additional area dedicated to the 0-5 years age group.

As well as contributing to the local economy and creating dozens of jobs, Eureka! Mersey will be focused on children and families.

The team at Eureka! has used a unique "co-creation" process, bringing local young people together with industry and expert partners to agree the stories and activities that will feature in Eureka! Mersey.

Many young people from the region have been involved in designing exhibition content, working in partnership with key Liverpool City Region businesses including Ørsted, Unilever, Sci-tech Daresbury and Arup as well as Liverpool John Moores University.

The museum is being developed by Eureka! in partnership with Merseytravel, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Wirral Council.

Wirral Council leader, Cllr Pat Hackett, said: "Eureka! Mersey is moving closer to arriving here in Wirral where it will be a world-class attraction and play an important part in the continuing development of Wirral's economy.

"I have no doubt that Eureka! Mersey will not only attract many thousands of new visitors to the area but it will play a crucial role in inspiring future generations to take an interest in those science and technical subjects.

"So many people have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point and I want to thank them for their continuing work to bring such an innovative attraction to the region.”

Eureka!'s chief executive Leigh-Anne Stradeski said "We are thrilled to be on track for opening Eureka! Mersey in two year's time.

"We have been working closely with the children and young people from the local Wirral community and broader City Region to ensure that we include the content and experiences that are relevant to them and reflect current issues and future challenges."

“We have a real focus on environmental issues and we will encourage our visitors to use sustainable transport wherever possible. Our location at Seacombe Terminal will support this and we are working with our key partners to achieve improved public transport and cycling facilities.”