IF the Meadowlands are doomed to a future of bricks, mortar and concrete what about the trees?
Lib Dem Mossley Hill Councillor Tina Gould says she has discovered that the Meadowlands - which the city council plans to sell to developers - is not only part of Sefton Park Conservation Area but the 90 plus trees on the site are covered by a Tree Preservation Order.
Cllr Gould said: “Mayor Anderson will need the talents of a “Flog it” presenter to sell this land given the many council imposed restrictions on it.
“It’s bad enough the council pushing to sell off this valuable green space, the least they can do is protect the dozens of mature trees on the site.
“I’m calling on the Mayor to guarantee these mature trees will be protected.
“It’s the Mayor’s long term ambition for Liverpool to be European Green Capital, if he allows any development on this site which results in those mature trees being felled he will have let people down massively,” she said.
Meanwhile Lib Dems and Green councillors in Liverpool will this week dig their heels in to save the city’s green and pleasant pastures…including the Meadowlands.
A special meeting at the City Council at the Town Hall on Thursday has been called by Lib Dem leader Richard Kemp, backed by more than half his team in the chamber.
This is what he wants the council to agree: “Council notes with concern continued and consistent proposals from the Labour Party to use the precious green spaces of Liverpool for development as exemplified by the decision to sell the Meadowlands at Sefton Park which has been ratified by the Regeneration Select Committee.”
Cllr Kemp might find it simpler to get Camp Hill transformed into a ski slope in the middle of July.
The Lib Dems will tell Thursday’s meeting there is already brownfield land available within Liverpool to provide homes for more than 60,000 people and empty homes that could provide accommodation for about 5,000 more.
Their motion also notes the “inability of developers such as that chosen to develop the 1,300 home site on the former Garden Festival site to develop in current circumstances”. It believes that “this land should be developed and that if the population does rise to 520,000+ every piece of land currently designated as green space will be needed for the leisure and recreation of the city's residents and that the provision of good green space is an important factor in both improving the health of the city and attracting inward investment.”
One victory for the greenspace lobby came when Mayor Joe Anderson scrapped plans for a new high school on playing fields in Jericho Lane, Otterspool.
The Lib Dems will be calling on Mayor Anderson and officers of the council to:
* Withdraw the current strategic land housing document because “it is seriously flawed”;
* Safeguard all Green wedge sites in the city identified in either the current UDP or the new proposals for the Local Development Framework including giving a guarantee that whatever the results of the review at Allerton Golf Course that land will remain as public open space;
* Ensure consultation will take place with ‘Friends of Park’ Associations or other relevant park associated bodies before any proposals are made to sell off land or otherwise alter our parks and on that basis withdraw proposals for a stage and a 24 hour licence in Sefton Park until such consultations are held;
* Ensure consultation takes place with local residents and businesses before the sale of any land within communities that is regarded by them as a local amenity.
* Recognising the disparity of green space between north and south Liverpool, request the Mayor to consider a comprehensive parks strategy that will provide all our citizens to access easily a safe, pleasant, green environment.
Public meeting this week
