Campaigners have been fighting proposals that will see the site sold for housing development.
Even though the city council claim the Meadowlands falls outside Sefton Park, many people regard the tree-lined site as an integral part of the world-famous park.
'By destroying this corner of Sefton Park Mayor Anderson will be diminishing our heritage, destroying our environment and turning the people of Liverpool against him'
Redrow has officially been named as the council’s ‘preferred development partner’ for the site in Park Avenue, once described in a council document as ‘incidental open space’.
The 2.62 hectare site, which –according to the council - lies outside the boundary of the 104.75 hectare Sefton Park, was declared surplus to requirements last year.
The council advertised for a developer to come forward with ideas for a bespoke, high quality scheme which is sensitive to the area.
“The sale price of the land will provide a much-needed financial boost for the council, and be invested in projects that benefit the city,” says a council spokesman.
The campaign to keep
Sefton Park Meadows greenThe council says Redrow will now hold a pre-planning public consultation drop in event in September, at which people will be able to comment on their outline ideas for the site.
Mayor Joe Anderson said: “This land lies outside of the boundary of Sefton Park and was originally earmarked for housing when the park was built.
“I have been clear that any scheme which is brought forward must be of the highest quality, of low density and in keeping with the area.
“At the moment we simply do not have enough executive homes in the city, and I believe this scheme will help us meet some of that demand, and provide more council tax income which we can use to help protect services.
“We all know that these are difficult financial times for the council, and I will make sure the money raised from the sale of this land is used for projects that improve the city.”
A spokesperson for Redrow Homes said: “We will now be undertaking further work prior to submitting a planning application and this will include discussions with the planning authority, English Heritage and others.
“We fully understand and appreciate that this is a site in a very sensitive location. We will ensure that any planning application that is submitted is high quality and in keeping with the local surroundings.”
The announcement will be seen as a bitter blow to campaigners who have already vowed to fight the scheme when it is presented to the council’s Labour dominated Planning Committee.
Lib Dem Leader Richard Kemp said, "I find it particularly disappointing that a developer renowned for building tasteless boxes should have been selected for this site. Despite the Mayor’s statement that this land lies outside the boundary of Sefton Park, the Meadows has been part of Sefton Park for the past 150+ years and the people of Liverpool believe it should remain so.
"If the developer and the Mayor of Liverpool are sure that there is an urgent need for more executive accommodation perhaps the Mayor would care to explain why no action has been taken regarding the land at the former Garden Festival site which has had planning approval for 1300 executive homes for the past two and a half years."
Meanwhile, Green Party members leading the campaign to Save Sefton Meadows vowed the fight to keep the land out of the clutches of developers would continue.
It says its drive has attracted support from over 7500 people "who want to keep this precious piece of Liverpool's Heritage open to everyone".
Spokesman Martin Dobson said: “The Labour council does not need to dig up our park land to build houses. They admit themselves that there is enough brown field land to provide all the housing requirements for the next 15 years. By destroying this corner of Sefton Park Mayor Anderson will be diminishing our heritage, destroying our environment and turning the people of Liverpool against him.
"We are within nine months of a General Election and Mayor Anderson should be focusing on persuading an incoming Labour government to pledge to reverse the cuts to local authority spending and allow our council to save the meadows, properly fund the park, and many other local services."
Who is Redrow?
Steve Morgan
Cheshire-based Redrow was formed in Flintshire, North Wales, in 1974, by Garston-born Steve Morgan.
He was working as a site agent for a civil engineering company when the parent company decided to close it down. Aged 21 at the time, he borrowed £5,000 from his father and Redrow was born.
It now has a turnover exceeding £600m and builds a range of houses on sites around the country from family housing estates to executive homes costing from £1m upwards. In The Sunday Times Rich List Morgan is said to have a personal fortune of at least £500m.
In June 2014, Liverpool City Council named Redrow as one of its official Housing Delivery Partners, in a consortium made up of private housing developer Redrow Homes, affordable housing provider Liverpool Mutual Homes (LMH) and its building contractor Willmott Dixon. Redrow and LMH will build 1,500 new homes across the city.
In 1992 Morgan was awarded the OBE for his services to the construction industry. He holds a number of Honorary Fellowships, including one from Liverpool John Moores University.
In 2001 Morgan founded The Morgan Foundation, which has awarded nearly £12m to over 350 charities across North Wales, Merseyside, West Cheshire and North Shropshire.
Morgan hit the headlines 10 years ago when he made a bid to buy Liverpool FC. A supporter at Anfield since the Shankly era, Morgan’s £61m bid was spurned by the club.
Three years later Liverpool FC was sold to Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett for a reported £170m. Morgan now owns Wolverhampton Wanderers.
