A NEW Liverpool community centre, in memory of murdered 11-year-old Rhys Jones, will move a step closer as the public are invited to view the proposals.

A consultation event is planned for next week so people living in the Croxteth Park area can have their say on the proposals.

The Rhys Jones Memorial Fund was created to help raise money to build a community centre to remember the schoolboy, who was killed nearly two years ago, and offer a much-needed facility for the people of Merseyside.

Liverpool Unites, the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo’s campaign set up in the wake of Rhys’s death, raised £100,000 for the memorial fund.

It achieved its target in September last year and the money will go towards the permanent memorial to the murdered youngster.

The proposals suggest the £1.5m centre is built on grassland behind the shops in Langley Close, Croxteth Park, close to where Rhys was murdered, in August, 2007.

Dave Saville, from the Rhys Jones Memorial Fund, said: “We are delighted with these proposals, which we believe provide a fitting tribute to Rhys Jones and will offer a valuable community facility.

“We look forward to meeting members of the community and hearing what they think about our proposals at the consultation event.”

The proposed centre would include a multi-use sports hall with badminton courts, an auditorium with up to 150 seats and a stage which could be removed when it is not required.

The centre would also feature a café area, which could be used for soft play and children’s play groups, with kitchen facilities.