A piece of a north Liverpool park that was handed by Liverpool City Council to a developer has been sold off.
The ‘Peace Garden’ was a piece of land on the edge of Everton Park near to the Great Homer Street and Conway Street entrance. Liverpool City Council said the Peace Garden section of the park was handed over to developer St Modwen as part of a commercial deal for the major Project Jennifer scheme.
The project, for which plans were first launched in 2003, delivered a wide range of retail development including a Sainsbury’s supermarket which opened in 2017. Homes were also built along with the refurbishment of Marwood Towers.
READ MORE: 'There you go': Boris Johnson's words to the people of Liverpool were a shameful lie
Home Bargains and B&M stores were also constructed on a separate retail park area running along Great Homer Street. The Everton Park entrance and Peace Garden site was situated behind the two retail stores.
After trees and the Peace Garden were cleared, the corner of the park was covered with hoardings that most recently advertised for development opportunities. However no scheme has ever been brought to the sectioned off Everton Park site - which has become worn and overgrown.
ECHO reports from 2014 stated the park area had always been included in the Project Jennifer plans, but the proposal to hand over the park faced three objections when they were discussed almost a decade ago. These were overruled in favour of taking the land over because, according to the council’s surveyors, the viability of the scheme was dependent on the retail units on Great Homer Street, with the Peace Garden behind to be used as a service area.
The retail units were delivered but no work has taken place on the park and after years of no development, St Modwen has now confirmed to the ECHO that it transferred the lease to the Peace Garden land. The developer said this lease transfer took place in October 2022 with Liverpool City Council retaining the freehold to the site.
A spokesperson for the developers said the long-term lease had been sold to a new developer but did not confirm the sum paid in the sale. The spokesperson added that it was “a business decision” to not develop on the Peace Garden site and pointed out that the rest of the Project Jennifer development was “highly successful.
It has been confirmed the lease to the land is now held by Modern Homes Design Ltd. The Liverpool-based company confirmed to the ECHO the transaction took place in October 2022 but did not disclose how much was paid in the deal.
A spokesperson for Modern Homes Design Ltd said the company has previously carried out works in the L4 area and are a local, family run business. They added the development company is still in discussion with Liverpool City Council about the site and aims to have an announcement on the project and scheme in the coming months.
Everton resident and Green Party candidate in May’s elections Kevin Robinson-Hale told the ECHO the site in question was a “well used part of the park” and a cherished community asset. He added that the lack of redevelopment has led to the area becoming “overgrown and falling apart at the hoardings.”
Commenting on the sale of the lease, he called for St Modwen to “put some of the money [from the transfer] back into the community as a gesture of good will.”
Get the top stories straight to your inbox by signing up to our what's on newsletter
READ NEXT:
Live court updates as Connor Chapman stands trial for Elle Edwards' murder
Every word said during 999 call made after Elle Edwards was shot dead
