NUNS at a Liverpool monastery are to quit their home of more than 100 years, after the building of a new school nearby ruined their peace and tranquillity.

The Carmelite Sisters at the retreat in West Derby are now hoping Liverpool council will next week approve their bid to build a new convent in Allerton.

The application was put forward after a link bridge was built between the Cardinal Heenan and Broughton Hall schools which neighbour the convent.

The bridge means that pupils can see into their garden, which they use for quiet contemplation, and now the Trustees of the Carmelite monastery hope that building a new home in Allerton will help restore their way of life.

But they will have to convince the committee to disregard objections to the plans for the new convent at Maryton Grange, off Allerton Road.

Several residents who live on a nearby housing development have opposed the new monastery for a number of reasons, largely relating to loss of green space and the potential increase in traffic during the construction phase.

But the application has received strong support from Allerton ward councillor and executive member for finance Cllr Flo Clucas, who said the plans would enhance the local environment.

The report to go before planners also suggests that, were the scheme rejected, it could mean the Sisters would have to leave Liverpool completely, meaning a great cultural loss.

The report reads: “The current site was previously positioned within a semi-rural setting. However, since the 1980s, the area has become increasingly urban with residential properties immediately abutting the Sisters’ garden, which is used as a place of prayer and reflection, and the adjacent schools creating noise and elements of anti-social behaviour which is at odds with the Sisters’ way of life.”