Campaigners have vowed to continue their fight against homes being built on Liverpool FC’s former training ground as the deadline for submissions moves into view.
In two days, public comments will no longer be able to be submitted in relation to plans to build new homes as part of a wider redevelopment of the former Melwood training ground in West Derby. Those campaigning against the plans have vowed to carry on their fight, with a plea being circulated across social media for residents to get involved.
Melwood was the home of the Reds for seven decades, dating back to the Bill Shankly era, before the club relocated to its new £50m training centre in Kirkby in 2020. The site was then officially handed over to housing group, Torus, who submitted a planning application last August for a mixture of 170 homes, bungalows and care units.
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The existing LFC infrastructure at the Deysbrook Lane site will be retained and repurposed to form the new home of the Robbie Fowler and Jamie Carragher Football Education Academy. The future of the site has been debated for years, with outline planning permission granted back in 2017.
Residents have held public meetings opposing the scheme while councillors have met with officials from the club and housing group to seek an amicable solution. A spokesperson for Torus said previously that the scheme had been “shaped by consultation with local residents, and is focused on a vision of a sustainable, multi-generational residential community, alongside the retention of high-quality sports facilities for the community to use, as an asset for West Derby and the city.”
Ahead of the deadline for public submissions closing later this week, activists on social media have called on residents to make their views heard to Liverpool Council “before it is too late.” A notice posted on Facebook said: “If you care about Melwood and its football heritage in our area please take the time to object in writing to these proposals.
“We believe we have strong and viable reasons to object to these plans; severe flooding in Deysbrook and Melwood Drive, oversubscription of patients at West Derby Medical Centre as it is at full capacity already, severe traffic congestion from Melwood Drive to Mill Lane at peak times. I would urge you to take the time to voice your own concerns as well as the ones above, this is our area, we care about it, please have your say before it is too late, time is running out”.
A date has yet to be set for when the full planning application for Melwood will be heard by Liverpool Council.
