1 day Ago By [email protected] (David Humphreys)
There had been fears the much loved site off Upper Parliament Street could be relocated The board of a much-loved African Caribbean centre have pressed Liverpool Council for answers over the future of their site after a deal was agreed for a new school to share the land. Amid a public campaign last month, the local authority agreed the site for a girls school in Toxteth that had initially threatened to displace the existing centre off Upper Parliament Street. After being asked to look at its initial decision again to select land on the edge of the city centre for the new school, Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said the African Caribbean community had “sent a clear message that they want it to remain on the current site, and the council shares that commitment.
” As a result, a 125-year lease has been awarded to the Department of Education (DfE) and Star Academies for the development of a new school on approximately four acres of land around Upper Parliament Street, Mulgrave Street and Selborne Street. In a first meeting with officials since an agreement was reached, the board has taken to social media to set out the questions it has put to the city council over the future of the site which has stood for nearly half a century. More than 5,500 people signed a petition calling for the centre to be retained after it was revealed in February it could be moved to make way for the school.
In a brief post on Facebook , the centre’s board revealed officials met with Cllr Liz Parsons, cabinet member for children’s social services, and Jo Richmond, director of safer cities and communities. They wrote: “While limited information was available at the time, we used the opportunity to pose a series of key questions that will now be taken back to the council for response.” These included queries around plans for development on an adjacent site, timescale for the centre to secure a formal lease or enter into the community asset transfer (CAT) policy, and how community consultation will take shape and when it might begin.
Board members added: “We were told there is a distinction between consultation and submitting plans to planning, but we made it clear that meaningful engagement must start sooner, not later. “Council officers stated there are no formal development plans submitted yet for the car park or Ashanti field. The priority is for the African Caribbean Centre to secure its lease or CAT, which will place us on an equitable footing in future discussions.
“The options of a lease or CAT to be explored in full. We expect further responses soon and will continue to keep our community informed.”.
