‘Green space’ campaigners halt plans to build school

Oct 24 2007 by Alex Bell, Liverpool Daily Post

PROTESTERS have succeeded in halting plans to build a school on Millbank playing fields, off West Derby and Bankfield Roads in Tuebrook.

Councillors have now called on education officials in the city to seek a brownfield site for a replacement building for West Derby Comprehensive.

Opponents campaigned for the site to be spared with a “save our green space” message to members of the council planning committee.

The council’s planning committee had been urged by planning officers to give the go-ahead to the £27m scheme, saying replacement playing fields would be found.

Instead, the committee backed an amendment from Liberal Democrat member Peter Allen calling instead for officers to seek an alternative brownfield site.

The scheme, part of the massive Building Schools for the Future Programme, will be held up while alternative sites are examined.

Politicians said they were unhappy at the loss of green space as well as the problems of traffic chaos in the Bankfield area.

Last night, local Liberal councillor Steve Radford, one of the key objectors, welcomed the decision. He said: “Other local authorities have been able to build new schools without resorting to using greenfield sites, so why can’t Liverpool do the same?”

The plan would have meant both West Derby Comprehensive School and the Ernest Cookson School of Excellence being located on Millbank playing fields site, close to the Peter Lloyd leisure centre.

The campaign, led by Cllr Radford, based objections to the proposed plan on potential loss of playing fields, car parking issues, flood risk assessment and traffic issues as well as access to the proposed premises from busy West Derby Road.

Tuebrook residents protested that traffic on West Derby Road would be congested, disrupting one of the main traffic arteries into the city.

One local resident protested: “I just don’t know how we are going to handle it. It’s just so congested, somebody will eventually be killed and if all this is to be built on Millbank, it will not be safe there.”

Some residents raised concern over their safety saying they would need strong barriers in front of their homes.

“We have lost a number of playing fields over the years and are losing a lot of green areas and haven’t much left,” said another objector.